


Warmth

by Wilt



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: M/M, Mostly Fluff with a side of Angst, Multi, Mutual Pining, Pre-Canon, also minor m/f for plot, damen is polyamorous, minor ocs because we know so little about damen's life before, this is very gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-23 21:30:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 30,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11998338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wilt/pseuds/Wilt
Summary: Laurent was not Damen's first love. Before him, there was Jokaste, and Lykaios, and his best friend Nikandros.





	Warmth

**Author's Note:**

> this starts out a few years before canon. fic title is from koda's 'the warmth' but its not important.

Salt spray from the ocean's waves could reach Nikandros where he stood. Even from this high on the cliffs, a gentle mist crept up to brush his face and bare shoulders. It was cool despite the red hot sun bearing down on the earth. Soon it would be setting, but the heat would continue for some time into the night. Far below in the crevices of the cliff face, he could see small yellow flowers growing in patches. They hadn't been in bloom when he left Akielos for his last assignment. But now he was home, some six months later, and the sight was endearing. 

Nikandros stood leaning against the balcony railing and watched the long shadows pull across the land along shore beneath him. His elbows bore his weight as he leaned further over the edge and closed his eyes to the feeling. 

A voice came from behind.

'There are endless colors in the sky, here.' 

Nikandros shifted to look behind him, though he already knew who had spoken. 

'I always appreciate it more whenever I come home. There are too many trees up north.' Damen said. He was smiling. 'Welcome back, Nikandros. It's good to see you've returned safely.' 

'Not quite, there was an incident on the way back.' He turned his body the rest of the way to fully face Damen and motioned to a cut on his shin. It was slowly bleeding, and truly looked worse than it felt. 

'You haven't been to the infirmary yet?' Damianos stepped closer to examine the wound.

'I was on my way.' 

'Your room is in the opposite direction of the infirmary.'

'I took a detour. I needed some time to myself.' Nikandros said. Damen's eyes flicked back up to his. 'Away from the same people I've been stuck with for the entire trip to Delpha, I mean.' 

'Does that mean I can stay?' 

'It's your palace, do as you wish.' 

Damen took his spot next to Nikandros, mirroring the pose he had been in previously. Leaning against the railing a mere pace away, his profile cut a stunning silhouette against the quickly darkening sky. His long curls shifted in the breeze.

'Do you want me to call a nurse to tend to you here?' 

'That would be preferable.' Nikandros spoke honestly. Damen gripped his shoulder as he disappeared back into Nikandros' room through the open balcony door. He returned quickly and reoccupied the same space, however opting to face his body towards Nikandros instead of the ocean. His chest was quite broad, Nikandros noted. He must have been working out more than usual. 

'Dinner will be brought up as well. We can dine here under the stars.' 

'Thank you. I've missed your sweetness.' He said absently, but as Damen's face lit up he reminded himself to watch his words. Time away from the palace loosened his tongue considerably.

He listened to Damen speak about his own journey to Aegina for diplomatic relations, and how he had crossed paths with 'Kyra from the Village' again. They met in a different village this time, but he swore he'd never forget her nimble fingers and sharp smile.

'Was it the same Kyra?' 

'When will you stop taunting me about that? I only made that mistake once.' Damen said.

'An honest one, at that. Imagine if there were ever a set of triplets born into the royal family. The amount of schemes they could get away with..' Nikandros caught himself with a sudden thought, 'Which one do you think would get to rule?'

'Whomever was born first, I assume.' Damen said. 

'Yes but, surely there would be conflict. 

'Such as?'

'Jealousy, competition, sabotage...' Nikandros trailed off when he looked over at Damen and saw him with a frown across his lips. 

As their dinner arrived they made their way back inside together but remained close to the balcony, seated at a small table where the heavens were still visible and the night air was a soft companion. Damen told him about a new garden that had been built on the west side of the Palace, which Nikandros agreed to view tomorrow when he wasn't likely to fall asleep on the way there.

Damen stopped talking when the nurse arrived and Nikandros received his medical treatment. 

When it was cleaned and taken care of, and the servants had left, he fixed Nikandros with a curious gaze and asked what had happened. 

'I was wondering when you'd ask.'

'I assumed you wanted to keep your mind off the mission.'

'As always. But this is fine. It's good to be home, but the injury is real. My mission was not limited to Delpha. Most of my time was spent there, yes. But as the new Kyros, there are those who would test me. And that they did.' He let out a sharp sigh and took in the meal splayed out on the table. He tore a chunk of bread and lathered it with butter and meat but didn't take a bite. 

'A Veretian had been planted into my camp.' Nikandros acknowledged Damianos' indignation, but continued, 'He rode with us all the way back to Ios before making an attempt on my life. I don't know if that was his intention, or if he realized he couldn't conceal his identity anymore upon entering Ios, and took his losses.' 

'How did he manage to get all the way down here?'

'He was of Akielon blood, raised in Vere. A careless reason to trust someone. We dined together some evenings.' 

'An Akielon, working for Vere? Willingly? I can't imagine what would ever possess a man to do so.' 

Nikandros finally took a bite of his dinner. And made quick work of thoroughly scarfing down the rest of his plate. 

'It's beyond me.' He said. 

-

Sparring with Damen was a delight. Even after time apart, they were well matched. 

They moved from swords to wrestling and tussled in the sand like boys. It clung to the sweat on Nikandros' back after he'd been laid out. Damen held out a hand to him, and pulled him to his feet. 

Damen said, 'You must still be tired from your trip.' 

Nikandros stuck his leg in front of Damen's, but Damen grabbed him and they fell together. By the time they headed to the baths they were filthy. 

Nikandros found it difficult to keep his eyes off of Damen. It was good to see him again. Nikandros loved Delpha, and he loved his newly elevated status of Kyros, but he wondered if these shared moments spent with his dear friend in the palace would always have him at his happiest. 

Throughout dinner that day, Nikandros noticed a few new faces in Damen's household. A few new guards, and a new slave. The slave tended to them both that evening. Damen was very sweet with her. Together they ate, they drank, and shared stories. 

Now it was late, and Nikandros was half reclined on the stone arch behind them. He wasn't tired, but the warm and private atmosphere of their section of the hall had him feeling content. So he let his eyes fall heavy while Damen busied himself with the task of sticking tiny flowers into Nikandros' beard. There wasn't much hair to work with, but he still tried. Nikandros tried not to blow them away with huffs of laughter. 

And after, Damen lead Nikandros away from the dining hall with a large hand clasped around his forearm. The croaks of frogs and the soft scuffles of their sandals were the only sounds in the still air. He closed his eyes and let himself be led entirely by Damen's hand. There was a faint smell of lilies in the air. 

It was peaceful. 

When Damen slipped his hand down to Nikandros' wrist, he opened his eyes. They had come to a stop. Damianos retracted his hand to gesture to the sight before them, and spoke. 

'This is the new Night Garden. It's quite nice, now that summer is approaching. Otherwise I don't see the appeal.'

Nikandros huffed. 'Yes, you've always been a man of the sun. It's probably lovely.' He went ahead along the fresh stone path and took in the sights. The only lanterns hung at the entrance. The rest of the garden was much darker and relied on the light of the moon to illuminate the pathways. There were large white flowers that shone curiously in the dark, and pristine marble statues that stood in dark pools of calm water that reflected the speckled stars above. 

The statues were of men and women sleeping, propped against animals. Nikandros lingered on a carved figure of a burly man with 2 massive lions. He narrowed his eyes.

'This one resembles someone familiar.'

'Kastor said the same.'

'You must have an admirer among the sculptures.'

Damen hummed in response. 'I wonder who.'

'I'm sure it would be easy enough to find out if the curiosity is too much for you. But if you end up making a pass at them, the palace will be filled with more sculptures of you then we'll know what to do with.'

'Would that really be a problem?'

'I see enough of you as it is.' Nikandros said, but there was mirth in his voice. He really had been away for too long. Damen smiled brightly at him. 

'Let me show you one that reminds me of you.' 

They continued on for some time. Occasionally Nikandros would ask about a statue, but Damen would shake his head and say it was further on. Nikandros let out a sigh of relief as they passed a small marble hare nestled in a bed of lavender without comment. 

Finally they approached a clearing that opened to the cliffside. The moon, although not full, was a splash of light on the ocean's broken surface. 

'This is the one.' Damen said, motioning at figure beside them. Nikandros' breath caught as he took in the large stone figure of a fully armored soldier on the back of a bear. Curled on his shoulder was a phoenix, its feathers tapering to become the soldier's cape. They were suspended in a powerful yet calm pose, facing the ocean. 

Nikandros examined it from all angles, and found himself at a loss for words. 

'This.. reminded you of me?'

'Yes. I always thought you'd make a great mount, just like this bear here-' 

Nikandros shoved him. 'You ass.' He laughed, and Damen pulled him into a headlock. Nikandros slipped out of it and dodged Damen's next grab, twisting and wrapping his arms around Damen's chest from behind to try and topple him. But he really did bulk up considerably, because Nikandros couldn't quite manage it. 

He found himself shoved against a pillar instead, locked into place by a handsome prince. The pillar was cold against his heated skin.

'Were you not satisfied when we wrestled earlier?' Nikandros asked.

'Never.' Damen stepped back. Nikandros didn't take the opening to continue.. whatever that was. 

But while they were strolling back to the palace, Nikandros threw his arm around Damen's shoulders.

'How did you manage to get even larger than before?' 

'You noticed.' Damen sounded pleased.

'How could I not? You're massive.' Nikandros himself was not by any means weak. But he was more compact, while Damen was beginning to look like a mountain. 'And I could not win against you in wrestling today. I'm going to have to get stronger.' 

'I'm sure I could teach you a few things, young soldier.'

'I am a kyros, and older than you.' 

'Smaller, though.'

Nikandros executed an expert, but light, chokehold. Damen laughed in his arms and Nikandros shoved him away. 

'Speaking of your small extremities-'

'I wasn't aware that's what we were speaking about actually-'

'Will you join me for a night of pleasantries? Like we used to.'

'It's been a while. What's the occasion?'

'Does there need to be one?'

Nikandros regarded him. 'No. But is there?'

'Well.. I want to share with you a new slave. Her name is Lykaios.'

'The one who served you at dinner?' 

'Yes. She's very sweet.'

Nikandros hummed. And scratched his chin.

'... If the Prince of Akielos insists, who would I be to refuse?' Nikandros offered a smile but Damen regarded him solemnly. 

'You can say no to me, Nik.'

_I really can't though,_ he thought. It was a solid fact, sitting weightless in his chest.

'Do want me to say it plainly? I accept the offer to share your bed tonight, my sweet generous Prince.' He clasped Damen's arm for reassurance.

Damen grinned and took his hand. 'I'm glad. You'll love her.' He said. 

'Do you still know my taste in women?'

'I've never been wrong before. I'll take my chances.'

—

Damen was not wrong. 

They returned to Damen's chambers, bathed in hot water that was milky with minerals, drank wine with confectionaries, and settled in the receiving area on a low red couch. Lykaios tended to them the entire time. And she was indeed lovely.

It was a heady, intimate night. Lykaios was adventurous, a good fit for Damen, Nikandros thought. He also thought that her flexibility highlighted Damen's athleticism quite nicely. He could not keep his eyes off Damen. 

Nikandros was vividly aware of him. His bare body right in front of him, rippling and exuding heat and power. Close enough to touch. But Nikandros didn't, wouldn't dare to. This.. conflict in his mind was not unfamiliar.

He pushed it neatly to the back of his mind. Damen was the most handsome man Nikandros had ever seen. But this didn't have to mean anything as long as he kept his mind on other things. Like the plush feeling of Lykaios in his arms. 

And Damen, towering over them both. This beautiful woman the only thing between their sex slick bodies. Damen, with his muscled arms and hooded eyes, his wandering hands and long tumbling hair that brushed Nikandros' skin like a whisper.

His voice, a stream of sweet rumbles. He was telling Nikandros what kinds of things Lykaios liked. Nikandros did just so. He did as he was expected, and not a thing more. 

It didn't have to mean a damn thing. 

-

In the morning, Nikandros woke up in Damen's bed. He shuffled out of the covers, peeled his eyes away from Damen's exposed back, yanked his clothes on- checking once to make sure they were in fact his- and swiftly made for the training grounds. After he had made himself a sweaty adrenaline-laced mess, he sat on a bench outside and breathed. His ribs still heaved with exertion. He passed a hand over his sweaty forehead and wiped it onto his thigh. 

His thoughts raced in circles. 

He tried to reason with himself. 

That this feeling in his stomach was indigestion, and the electricity in his nerves was from his workout, and not from memories of the large, beautiful, and incredible man who was his best friend. 

And who he had also slept with. On multiple occasions. Never the two of them alone, but they used the same bed and if Nikandros had woken up in a pair of strong familiar arms, it was passed off as something that naturally happened when two people fell asleep next to each other.

He told himself this was just a result of being away for too long. That he had missed his friend and he was overjoyed at being with him again. This could have been believable, if not for the deeper, older memories, that were scratching at the underside of his mind. Pounding with his pulse. 

Nikandros had sat on this same bench before. Once when he was 14, watching Damen practise his swordwork in the field and feeling his first inkling of something beyond awe. At 16, when Damen sat next to him and kissed him under the burning summer sun. At 17, when he couldn't sleep and came here alone to think about that kiss. 

And now at 23 he pressed his fingers into his lips and allowed that familiar feeling to wash over him. It rolled over him, filling his chest and warming his skin.

It had been his first kiss. 

They were two young men sitting in the sunset glow and Damen had said to him, 'Do you ever think about kissing?'

'Sure, sometimes.' 

'Who do you think about kissing?'

'No one in particular. Just.. in general. What it would feel like, and stuff.'

'You've never done it?'

Nikandros gave him a look. 'The only lady I've ever kissed is my blade. I'm not like you.'

Damen hummed. 'But you still think about it.'

'Of course.'

'It feels pretty good.' Said Damen. 'And it's fun.'

A moment passed.

'Do you want to try it?' Damen asked.

'What, kissing?'

'Yeah.'

'With who?'

'Me.'

Nikandros suddenly found his mind hitting an abrupt wall. 

'What?' He blurted.

Damen leaned in a little. 

'Do you want to?' 

Nikandros had looked into his honest eyes, and he was glowing. Everything about him was alight. His lips were right there and Nikandros knew this wasn't the first time he had stared at them, not even close, but now they were right in front of him, lightly smiling. And all Nikandros could do was give a small nod. So small that he hoped Damen wouldn't notice. But Damen steadied him by the shoulder and moved another centimeter closer. Nikandros could feel his warm breath on his face and he couldn't take his eyes away from Damen's lips. The way they glistened. 

Nikandros leant in further and curiously pressed his lips against Damen's.

And then it was over. A moment passed where neither of them moved back. 

Then they kissed again, and again. Damen held his shoulder while Nikandros shifted closer so their legs pressed together on the bench. He twisted his hand into Damen's chiton. He was kissing Damen and the heat of the low summer sun was a blanket over them. This impossible moment felt protected in this quiet corner of the garden. 

It slowed, until they were just a soft contact, barely negligible but still enough that Nikandros' face burned with the closeness. He didn't know if he should draw his hand back yet, and wasn't sure if his nerves were working well enough to do that even if he wanted to. 

He didn't want to ever move away from this. 

Damen put their foreheads together and smiled. Nikandros helplessly smiled back. 

And then they never talked about it. Nikandros left for a northern trip soon after. His trips became more frequent. A few summers came and went. They never talked about it. 

Now, Nikandros shut his eyes against the memories and sighed. He had wished for it to be fleeting, for it to be the foolish infatuation of a young boy that would pass with age, but here he was and this was his limit.

This was love. 

Admitting it to himself was both freeing and unsettling. It felt like a key had turned in his chest, locking the truth deeply in place. 

'Fuck,' He said. And stood up. He rubbed at his face, at his arms, and fixed his chiton. He took a deep breath of clean Akielon air and walked back to the training grounds to do laps. 

Afterward, as he gulped cool water and swiped a cloth over his damp skin, his head felt clear enough to decide this wouldn't be an issue. 

Of course, the stars chose that moment to test that resolve. 

Damen approached with the stride of someone completely unaware of Nikandros' major internal meltdown. All of his nerves were on fire. _This would not be an issue._ Damen said had been looking for him to ask what his plans were for that day. Nikandros said his first priority was to prevent his stomach from devouring itself. 

At this, Damen procured a pear he just happened to pick on his way. Nikandros devoured it in less than five bites.

They went together to the dining hall. Nikandros pointedly did not think about the previous night, at all, not even once. 

To his luck, there was a welcome distraction that morning. A visitor from Kesus, Nereus was his name. Nikandros had never met him, but it seemed he and Damen were somewhat familiar. 

Nereus was an archer with a passion for art, apparently. Nikandros heard this and looked at his plain exterior. He looked like a regular soldier. Thick-lipped and slightly reserved, he spoke at great length about a new gallery being built nearby. 

'I've heard that they've laid claim to three of Ligeia's largest paintings, to be displayed in the innermost room.' Nereus said, clasping his hands near his chest. He looked wistfully to the side. 'It's meant to open next spring and I cannot wait. I must know, Damianos, are there any plans to liven up the palace with some color?'

'Ah.. no. There has been no need of redecoration in the palace.' Said Damen.

'No need?' Nereus laughed. 'Your distaste for the arts is endearing to say the least.'

'Damianos is not alone in preferring bare walls. It's tradition for a reason.' Said Nikandros. 'Would you not be happier in Vere?'

'Gods, no. Veretians don't know real art.'

_Neither do you_ , thought Nikandros, eyeing the dark green and purple robe Nereus was donning. 

'Have you seen the new Night Garden yet?' Asked Nikandros, after picking up on Damen's utter loss for words in this topic. 'It's to die for.'

Nereus' eyes lit up. 'I haven't had the pleasure.'

'I can have my slave Lykaios show you around, if you wish.' Said Damen. 

'You won't be there?'

'Unfortunately Nikandros and I have a meeting to attend. We'll see you again at dinner.'

-

At Dinnertime, Nereus was all over Damen. It wasn't uncommon for members of the court to blatantly flirt with the Prince, but this was a little over the top even for Damen's standards. 

What made things worse was that Nikandros was late in joining them, so Damen was left to deal with Nereus' antics alone. 

Sliding his fingers against Damen's bicep, he purred into his ear, 'I must inquire, who is your sculptor? The marble figure of you in the garden is divine. Although still not quite a match for the man in the flesh himself.'

'You flatter.' Said Damen. 'I'm sorry to say I do not recall the name of the sculptor. All I remember is him being a smaller boy, with dusty hair.'

'Hmm. That's a shame.'

'Yes, quite.' Damen uncurled Nereus' fingers from his arm and placed them back on the table. 'How fare your brothers?'

'My ramblings of the arts have bored you, have they?'

Damen graced him with a polite apologetic smile.

'The boys have grown quite large since you last visited. You might just as well see them among your new recruits within the year.'

'Their eagerness to serve Akielos is appreciated. Do they still excel in bow and arrow, as you do?'

'Yes, it is the family business after all. Though Alcaeus has taken up the spear as well.'

'That's good to hear, though I would have them learn close-range defense as well.'

Before Nereus could give a reply, another voice came from behind Damen. He felt an accompanying hand grip high on his shoulder, closer to his neck. 'Leave talk of soldiers and armies for places other than the dining hall, Damen. Please.'

Damen turned just as Nikandros settled into the seat on his right, the seat that had been left empty between him and Nereus. 

'Yes, dearest.' He said, hearing the grin in his own voice.

Nikandros gave him a scathing look before turning his attention to the food. Nereus stared at Nikandros for a long time. 

When the next course was brought from the kitchens, Damen took in the view of the slave who poured Nereus' wine. There were sunflowers threaded through his hair and Damen wondered if they were real. The slave was an uncommon sight, not for being a man but for having considerable muscle across his entire body. He did not have the figure of a warrior, but Damen had no doubt there was a large amount of strength under his subdued movements. It was not an unpleasant sight.

However, when the man leaned forward to clear away empty plates, the front of his silk clothing slipped, and a horrible sight was uncovered. Damen's breath caught. Not in the good way. 

There were bruises. Of all sizes. The slave was not quite as dark as Damen, to have such discoloring easily hidden. 

His first thought was that the bruises were from fighting, but this was not a soldier. This was a slave, and Damen felt anger spreading throughout his veins, clawing across tendons, tensing his posture and coaxing his fingers to curl into fists.

A slave would not fight back. 

He said, 'Nereus. What is this man's name?' 

Nereus flicked his eyes up to the slave and said 'This one is Pyrrhus.' When he reached his hand out to touch Pyrrhus' cheek, he flinched. It was barely noticeable but Damen was already launching to his feet when a heavy hand slammed his thigh back down, pinning him to his seat. 

Nikandros gave a small shake of his head and kept his hand firmly where it was. He said to Nereus, 'He's quite handsome. Are you a man willing to share his possessions?'

'You wish to borrow the company of Pyrrhus?'

'For but a night, if you would be so kind.'

Nereus pondered this for a moment. Damen tried not to seethe, and diverted his attention to his cup of wine. He took a heavy swig of it. 

'Very well.' Said Nereus. He flashed his teeth. 'Pyrrhus, see to Nikandros' needs until morning.'

Pyrrhus gave a proper nod, and turned to Nikandros for direction. With his head turned toward them, Damen could see there was another bruise on the side of his face which had been previously hidden from view. Nikandros had Pyrrhus sit on the bench between him and Damen. 

It was a tight fit, with four large men so closely seated together. But Damen wasted no time in speaking to Pyrrhus. 

'I wish to know the cause of the bruises on your skin.' Damen whispered. 'If they were placed there by a malicious hand, you need only say their name for me to cut it off. Never again will you feel his fists upon you.' 

Pyrrhus slowly turned to look at Damen. His expression was blank. Damen persisted. 'If he is harming you, I would not have you stay under his roof a single night longer.' 

'Exalted, I...' Pyrrhus began, but then closed his eyes and again lowered his head.

'That is not the right way to treat a slave. I would have you moved to a proper household. My own, even, so that I may personally oversee your wellbeing.'

From behind them, Lykaios stepped up refill Damen's cup. As she retreated, Lykaios breifly touched Pyyrhus' arm. When he looked at her, she gave him a firm nod. 

'How long have you been under Nereus' household?' Damen asked.

'I was born into it, Exalted.' 

'Then I will ask again,' Damen said, gently. 'Who was it that harmed you?'

But Pyyrhus again fell silent. Nikandros leaned into their space to say 'Allow Pyrrhus time to consider your offer. It's no easy thing which you ask of him.'

'No, it isn't.' Damen agreed. 'But know that I only wish to provide aid. You will be under the care of Nikandros and I until morning. At any time until then, you may give me your response. Is that okay?'

Pyyrhus took his time to think it over. But at last he nodded. Damen would have liked to give him an encouraging touch; a pat on the head or his back, but it would probably be some time before Pyyrhus could react to touch in a positive way. So Damen merely said 'Good.' and kept his hands in plain sight on the table. 

It wasn't until much later in the night when Pyyrhus was ready to talk. He and Nikandros had slipped away from dinner early. Damen went to his own chambers at a more reasonable time to bathe and pace back and forth until one of his guards let him know that Nikandros wished to see him.

Pyyrhus was on his knees in the center of the room when Damen arrived. Nikandros sat on a low couch behind him. 

'Stand up, Pyyrhus.' Nikandros quietly urged. 

Pyyrhus uncurled his long limbs and stood up. 'Exalted.' He said.

'Have you made your decision?' Damen asked, walking closer, yet stopping at a point where there were still more than five paces between them.

'It is at it seems.' Said Pyyrhus. His voice gravelly and low, but he spoke with a strong clarity. On the other hand, he looked like a nervous wreck. 'It was my Master Nereus who raised his hand against me. He takes pleasure from it.'

Pyyrhus sucked in a shaky breath and looked back at Nikandros, who in turn nodded. But Nikandros, too, looked pained. Damen was ready to draw his sword and march directly to Nereus' bedchamber at that moment, but he sensed there was more to be said. 

Sure enough, Nikandros stood up from the couch and took a few steps toward Damen before saying to Pyyrhus, 'What else did you wish to tell Damianos?'

Pyyrhus opened and closed his mouth a few times. Then he lifted his chin and looked only at Nikandros when he said, 'I am not the only one he hurts. I know of at least three others in the household who bear similar marks.'

Damen's hand reflexively drifted to the hilt of his sword. Nikandros' glare prevented him from drawing it, but he let it rest there. 

'I'm going to kill him.' Said Damen.

'No, you are not. You are going to launch an investigation on his household, and when this proves to be true, his slaves may all be relocated safely at once and Nereus himself heavily fined.'

'He does not _deserve_ a mere fine and a slap on the wrist. He deserves the pain of my blade ripping his flesh.'

'I know this.' Nikandros seethed. 'But if we do not move carefully, we risk putting the lives of his other slaves in danger. You won't be happy about this either, but we must send Pyyrhus back to Nereus in the morning. To ensure that Nereus never knows which of his slaves revealed his crime. We help them all, or none at all. These were Pyyrhus' terms and I promised him that you would honor them.'

Damen closed his eyes, and with great effort, released his sword. He breathed deeply and at last looked at Pyyrhus. 

'You wish to go back with Nereus tomorrow?'

'I trust Kyros Nikandros' plan. I would not leave my brothers and sisters behind.'

'That is admirable, Pyyrhus.' Said Damen. 'Earlier I offered you a place within my own household. This offer still stands.'

'It would be a great honor to serve you, Exalted.'

Damen gave him a brief smile. 'We will have you and the rest of Nereus' slaves relocated as soon as possible.'

-

The next day after a brief dinner, Nereus departed with Pyyrhus closely at his side. As soon as the last of their horses left the courtyard, Damen pulled Nikandros into the stables and began to sidle up his own horse. 

'Ride with me.' He said. 

'Where to?' 

'Anywhere. I cannot sit still knowing we've sent Pyyrhus back with that man.'

'We did it for the better outcome.'

'I hope so. But I still wished to have inflicted pain on him.'

They rode hard and fast for the better part of the evening. It wasn't a long ride before they came across a vast clearing with a river parting the earth in half. It wasn't a very clean river, being this far south, but it was wide and calm and they had been here many times before. 

After securing their horses, they sprawled out on the grass and didn't speak for a while.

The sun was a stark orange blotch in a cerulean sky. It felt hotter here, bigger. As if Damen stood with his back to a blazing fire. There were crickets all around, and frogs that croaked but could not been seen. 

Light that bounced off the river's surface glistened and cast shapes on their bodies. 

At last, Damen said, 'You make me a better man.'

Nikandros looked at him, and pushed himself up onto his elbows.

'I don't think that's true. I think you've always been a good man. And you just need someone to break your tension every now and then so that you can think like yourself.

Damen let this soak in. He looked at the dark leaves swaying in the air above their heads, at the twigs and roots weaving in the dirt under them, at a single wispy cloud in the distance and finally at his friend. 

'Thank you.'

Nikandros gave him a nod. Then slapped him on the back.

'Now did we come here to go swimming or what?'

He stripped and was halfway to the river when Damen caught him and tackled him. The shallow river heaved with their intrusion, soaking their immediate surroundings and themselves. Nikandros slipped away underwater, and yanked Damen's legs out from under him. Damen tried to open his eyes in the water but it was muddy from their tussle. When Damen resurfaced, Nikandros was laughing. Damen rose, dripping. Then he picked up Nikandros. And threw him. 

There was silence for a moment. 

And then a quiet splash as only Nikandros' head bobbed out of the water.

'Do you feel better now?' 

'I don't know, let me throw you again and see.' 

The sun had set and the temperature dropped significantly by the time they dragged each other out of the water. They dried off with whatever clothes they could find and then sat on whatever leftover patch of cloth was not completely soaked through. 

The night sky was an expanse of bright star speckles. It was still slightly purple to the west. 

A satisfying exhaustion tugged at Damen's limbs and he laid back. 

'We should head back soon.' Nikandros said. 'Before the mosquitos have a chance to eat us.'

-

For Damen, it was simple. 

Since birth, his life's path was more or less laid out. He was a crown prince by blood. A soldier by spirit. As a child he had run from lesson to lesson without a care. And the first time Damen held a sword and felt the rough hilt on his smooth palm, held the blade out before him and watched the sun dance across its surface, he felt his path settle. 

It had more or less played out as expected. With the exception of the time his brother speared him on a calm afternoon day, and when he rode into battle to slay the Golden Prince of Vere.

Oh, and the time when he held onto his best friend and kissed him under the sun. That was kind of unexpected.

It wasn't something he ever really thought about. He wasn't reminded of it in the way that the scar on his belly still felt tight. Or the major political shift that came with gaining Delpha. 

But sometimes he would think about it. A quick, passing thought. A memory recalled when he sat with Nikandros outside on a slow summer evening, if their conversation lulled and the sunset was aligned just perfectly. 

Like now. 

'Summer looks good on you, friend.' 

Nikandros turned to him. 

'I presume that is true for all Akielons.' Nikandros said.

'But none as much as you.' Damen said, and he meant it. 

Nikandros laughed, and ducked his head. Damen was distantly aware of his heart beating hard in his chest. He could not look away from Nikandros. 

That distant kiss replayed in his mind. Again and Again. 

-

Theomedes said, 'Go to Isthima. They request a royal audience to speak of finances and trade. Hear their complaints and decide whether to give them aid. Deal with it accordingly by your own judgment.'

'When do I leave?'

'Tomorrow morning on the first boat. Take as much time as you need, but don't dally.'

'Yes, Father.'

The sky was gray with dawn and sea fog when he arrived at the docks. It was still dark enough that the ship was mostly a large shadowy mass, and the sunrise was only beginning to glow through breaks in the fog. His arms prickled with moisture. 

Next to him, Nikandros was shivering. 

The ship had been sent by Artemon, the Kyros of Isthima. It was a grand symbol of wealth that had Damen questioning what kind of financial issues they were having, exactly.

A boarding plank was set out and a woman stepped off of the ship. She was dressed in a regal black suit, beaded with gold ornaments, and a red cape pinned to one shoulder that swayed in the faint wind. It looked to be of heavy velvet.

As she stepped closer, Damen could see her face was unadorned yet pretty. She wore an expression of clear determination. It transformed into a friendly smile. 

Her hair fell forward as she bowed.

'I am Mira, daughter of Artemon. It is a great honor to be in your presence, My Prince.'

'Likewise.'

She looked to Damen's left.

'This is my companion, Nikandros, the Kyros of Delpha. He will be joining me for the journey to your island.'

'Oh, wonderful. I'm sure my father will be happy to speak to you too.' She stepped forward and clasped his shoulder. 'Shall we depart now, Exalted?' 

Soon after boarding, a heavy rain befell them. It was loud against the deck above and Mira had to raise her voice to be heard while giving her tour. 

Nikandros asked, 'Will the waters be safe enough to sail across?'

'Oh yes. Our sailors are used to this, and worse. Unless.. do you get seasick?' She asked. 

'.. Sometimes.'

'Unfortunate. Shall I check the kitchens for ginger?'

Damen knew Nikandros hated ginger. He looked just in time to catch the miniscule grimace that flickered across his face. 

'No, thank you.'

'Suit yourself.' She led them down another set of narrow stairs, and to a single nondescript door with a bronze handle. Inside it was small but furnished nicely. It looked cozy. 

'Here is your lounge, Exalted. We should arrive at Isthima before the day is over, but you may use it as you wish.'

There was a slave inside, setting out refreshments. Mira left with Nikandros, whose room was further on. Damen decided to take a bath in the large wooden tub bolted to the floor in the corner of the room. Everything was bolted down, in fact. With how the boat was being jostled at the moment, Damen was grateful. 

His bath was lukewarm but at least the soap smelled nice. After, he idly picked at the snacks laid out for him, of which he mostly liked the sliced oranges and almonds. He wondered where Nikandros' room was located, and if the servant who was here earlier would know. 

He poked his head out the door to send his guard on a search, and nearly bumped into the man himself. 

'You smell nice.' Nikandros said. 

'Isthiman soap.' He waved his friend inside. 'Where are your assigned chambers?'

'Next door. The room is exactly this size but considerably less decorated.'

Nikandros sat gingerly on the corner of Damen's decorated bed and closed his eyes.

'How do you feel?'

'Like I'm about to puke out my very soul.' 

'Lie down. It'd be good for you to go up on deck and ground yourself with the horizon. But that's not a good idea in this weather.'

As if to prove his point, the boat tilted considerably. Damen took his seat by the table and Nikandros let out a long curse. Having nothing else to do, Damen picked up a cutlery knife and peeled another orange, feeding it to Nikandros piece by piece.

'If you throw up now my generosity will have gone to waste.'

'I'll try telling that to my stomach.'

Eventually Nikandros fell asleep and Damen stood up to explore his room. Each curtain and blanket had been hand embroidered with expert love and attention. So were the pillows. There were a lot of pillows. Nikandros looked like he was being swallowed by them. But Damen wasn't going to risk disturbing him by clearing them from the bed. He drew one of the curtains into his hand to look at the embroidery more closely and discovered a porthole behind it. He put his face right up against it to see if Isthima would be visible from here, but it was too dark. He let the curtain fall back. 

He was startled out of a nap later with a knock on his door. Rising, he faced his guard in the hall. 

'Exalted,' The guard bowed. 'I've been informed that despite the storm, we've arrived ahead of schedule. We will be docking shortly, so you may come above deck to wait if you wish. The message came from Mira.'

He acknowledged this and went to wake up Nikandros.

The deck was still slick with rain when they got there, but the sky was a welcome sight. Especially to Nikandros who stood still with his hands braced on the railing to watch the Island become steadily closer. Damen mirrored his stance and breathed the fresh clean air. 

Isthima was a tall mound rising out of the ocean, bright with floral growth and sheer cliffs that were similar to those of Ios. There was a long stretch of sandy beach to the north and smaller rock formations jutting out of the water to the south. The boat approached one of the northern beaches and they docked at the nearest port town with ease. 

Nikandros let out a sigh of relief.

This was when Mira reappeared and gave a formal welcome to Isthima. 

'We will now ride up to my family house. Originally we would have spent the night here in this town, but the sun is still high. We can make it home in time for dinner.'

'Very well. We appreciate this hospitality.' Damen said.

When she turned to lead them off the boat and to the awaiting carriages, Damen saw a sword strapped to her back that he hadn't noticed before.

Mira's house was a short ride from the town, situated at the top of a hill, nestled in gardens and smaller buildings that probably belonged to their additional family members. There was a feeling of closeness in both the residents and architecture. 

Mira's father, Artemon, welcomed them on the steps of his home when they finally arrived. The sun had set just minutes before. It was too late now for political dealings, he said, so they could leave that for tomorrow. Now, they could dine and have a generous taste of Isthima's cuisine and wine. 

The dining hall was grand and warm, with a large portion open to a view of the ocean. It probably looked better in the daytime, but it was still an impressive sight. 

Mira approached with a dazzling young woman in hand, and took her seat across from Damen. 

She said, 'This is Lady Ionora, daughter of the Kyros of Dice.'

Damen nodded at her. 'That is quite far. What brings you here?'

'Mira is my good friend. And the food is quite nice, have you tried the herring yet, Exalted?' 

Ionora's coloring was the lightest out of the four of them, but she had a significant sun tan. Startled, Damen's gaze fell to welted burn scars on her shoulders. It was a strange sight, but he refrained from comment. 

Damen learned that Ionora spent a lot of time here on the island. But she also seemed to be acquainted with Nikandros. It made sense, with them both being from the north, and Nikandros frequently visited the other Kyros. 

The food didn't stop coming, the entertainment was exquisite, and the hall glittered with expensive gold ornaments. There were also a lot of other people in the hall with them. Damen didn't know if they were all family, or if it was normal for them to house many guests like Lady Ionora. 

Overall it was an enjoyable evening, but something didn't sit right with Damen. It was too grandiose for a place that deemed financial trouble. But he supposed that could wait for their talks tomorrow. It wouldn't be proper to bring up his qualms now in the midst of this festive atmosphere. Isthima was being graced by the presence of a royal family member for the first time in a decade, and the people were excited. It wouldn't hurt to enjoy himself. 

After all, the wine was sweet, the women were beautiful, and the herring was indeed delicious. 

-

Morning creeped into Damen's room and brought with it a soothing scent from the flowers on his open balcony. Thin curtains swayed in the air like gentle sea currents. He rose, stretched, and was dressed by the slave he had been gifted with by Artemon. He asked her to show him to Nikandros' rooms. 

Nikandros was in the midst of enjoying morning pleasantries with his own slave. Damen offered to leave, but Nikandros said 'It's alright. It's not like you haven't seen my cock a hundred times before.' and sent the slave away. Together they went to the outdoor baths, ate breakfast (also outdoors) and thus began the first of a long set of meetings that would occur. 

Oddly, both Mira and Ionora were present at the table, but Damen did not comment on this. He was too busy trying to make sense of what Artemon was saying. 

'Pirates.' Damen repeated. 

'Yes, Exalted.'

'And they've wrecked your trade ships.'

'That is correct.'

'How many ships have been destroyed?'

'Two dozen.'

Damen sat back in his chair with an audible creak. He wanted to look over at Nikandros and see if he was finding this all to be as bizarre as it felt. 

'And how has Isthima suffered as a result?'

'The loss of ships has been a large financial blow, Exalted-'

'Tell me the details, numbers. And then tell me what you have done to try and remedy this.'

It all boiled down to this; Artemon wanted funds to build new ships, and extra funds for compensation of lost goods. 

'What about the pirates?' Damen asked.

'What about them?'

Damen blinked at him. 

'Have you dealt with them? Do you need military aid?'

'Oh, no. No. No that won't be necessary, we have our own fleets and scouts dealing with them. We have no need for extra men. Just funds.'

'I see.'

But Damen didn't see. 

There was something very off here but he didn't know what, and he because of that he couldn't make any accusations or leading questions. 

He stood up. 

'I wish to see your port and speak with your sailors. Preferably anyone who might have anything to say about the pirates.'

'Oh.' Said Artemon. Then he stood up, quickly. 'When?'

'Now.'

'Oh. Yes, certainly, but,'

'What is it?'

'First let us eat. I'm getting old you see, and cannot rush down to the port on an empty stomach. There is plenty enough time left in the day.' 

Damen gave him a long and steady look. 

'Fine.'

Immediately once they exited the room, Nikandros pulled him outside and they found a quiet alcove where they could hopefully speak in private. 

'Nikandros, if you have any idea what is happening here I would love to hear it.'

'I wish. But I'm glad you agree something is wrong.'

'I've had a bad feeling ever since we boarded that splendid ship.'

''Splendid' isn't the word I would use, but yes. Now that we know of these supposed pirates, it makes even less sense. Surely they would have attempted to claim a ship that harbored the Prince himself if the problem was as immense as Artemon reports.'

Damen took a slow inhale. 

'Do you have any theories?'

'Not yet. But we'll get to the bottom of it.'

'Do you have any advice?'

Nikandros looked back over at the main house. 

'I'm glad we're going to the port today. I hope it will provide some answers. But don't agree to any financial aid, not yet, at least. We have to know if this is the truth, or something else.'

-

The port town was a completely different sight in the bustling flurry of activity that took over any town at this hour. There were markets, street performers, vendors, and the ever present smell of fish. 

Unfortunately for Damen, the trip did not provide any new information. There were no sailors who had survived any of the alleged pirate attacks. It was all rumors and heresay, and complaints about trade taxes. 

On the way back, Artemon said to him, 'I hope you've heard what you needed. It's truly been a great tragedy.'

They passed a woman grilling skewered squid. It looked unappetizing, but smelled amazing. Damen said, 'I want a list of all the deceased sailors, as well as a detailed written report of every boat and item that was seized or destroyed.'

Artemon took out a cloth to wipe sweat from his face. Damen was sweating too, from the the heat of packed narrow streets. 

'It might be difficult to get every name, Exalted. Labor isn't always.. reported, you see, on the docks. But I will certainly have the reports written out for you tomorrow.'

Tomorrow. 

He shared another look with Nikandros. But what could they do? Baseless speculation would get them nowhere. 

Dinner that evening wasn't much different from the previous night, except that Damen was determined to take his mind off it all. 

He tried every dish that was presented to him. There was the same herring from yesterday, but this time it was pickled and served with lettuce sprinkled with lemon juice and onions, baked potatoes, steamed carrots, and a salad of creamy shredded beets. There was a sour soup, thick with kale, that he sipped at every now and then. Mostly he ate the beets and herring. 

Nikandros, on the other hand, loved the soup. 

A pretty slave played a harp that was as tall as himself, and there was constant dancing. He realized somewhat belatedly that the decor from yesterday had all been switched out. Where yesterday everything had been gold and ultramarine, today everything was pearl and teal. Damen downed his cup of wine and motioned for a refill. 

When Mira leaned in a little too closely to speak to Damen he was surprised, but not unwilling to see where it lead. Mira was attractive in her own way, and had an interesting personality. She was not the demure flower that was so common in the court back home. In the right light, her exposed arms rippled with hidden strength. Damen remembered the sword. 

He reached out to brush her hair back. It was long, and black as the finest ink. A scent of lavender could be detected at this proximity. She smiled at him. And touched his outstretched arm. 

'You are unexpectedly forward.' He said, a smile evident in his own voice. 

'If I have overstepped, let it be known.' She said. 'If not..' And slid her hand down the length of Damen's skin to his wrist. Damen went the rest of the way and took her hand. 

'It is not unwelcome. But I must say it's not the typical way to go about courting a Prince.'

'Courting is not what I desire.' She said, and Damen understood. 

'Then I do believe we want the same thing.'

She looked at him with bright eyes, and glowing dark skin, and suddenly Damen wasn't so sullen about this whole trip. 

However, there was one thing that kept him from retiring at that very second. It was a creeping, incessant feeling that seized him with growing frequency. A pounding in his heart, accompanied with a longing for-

Damen took another sip of wine, and asked her how she felt about the idea of his friend Nikandros joining them. 

'You prefer to tumble in groups?'

'I do. Have you tried it?'

'Only with.. groups of women. But certainly, I am curious to try it with you. Your friend is not bad on the eyes either.' She said this with a flush on her cheeks, but not at all shyly. 

He smiled at her, gave her fingers a quick squeeze.

'Your friend can join us too, if that would make you more comfortable.' He said.

Mira's eyes went wide for a second, but she agreed eagerly.

Damen turned and bent over to Nikandros to speak into his ear. Nikandros looked at him, at Mira, at Ionora, and back at Damen. His lips were slightly ajar when he again looked at Damen. 

A moment passed. Damen tried to look innocent. 

Finally, Nikandros nodded once. 

The four of them withdrew to Mira's chambers. Damen ignored the looks Nikandros was giving him the entire way there.

Mira's bedroom was a rather narrow space, that had many open arches to other rooms, to give the feeling of a larger single room. There was a balcony at the far end, and before that, her bed. A large cushioned square in the center of the hallway-like space. 

A slave who had already been present in the chambers lit some incense, and left. Mira took Ionora by the hand and kissed her sweetly on the lips. Damen reached out for Nikandros and tugged him forward to plant a kiss on his shoulder. Nikandros looked at him wide eyed, bright eyed. 

'Do you have a preference?' Damen asked him. 

Nikandros blinked at him, and then looked at the women. 

'No, it's,' He gulped. And pushed Damen's shoulder. 'After you, your highness.'

Damen found himself handled onto the bed by Mira. He was aware of Nikandros being pushed down next to him. They shared a look. Damen knew he was smiling, but he couldn't help it. 

He gave a verbal go-ahead to Mira, who was seated between his legs. She kissed his thigh before advancing higher, and Damen turned to watch Nikandros. It looked like Ionora was set on devouring his soul from his mouth. Damen chuckled and reached out to run the back of his fingers across Nik's arm, while idly feeling Mira's curly hair with his other hand. 

Nikandros slid his palm down, sighing at the feeling of her, and Damen felt himself react. He put his head back and closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them he was faced with Mira staring straight at him, grinning. She gestured at Nikandros and lifted a dark brow. 

Damen did not answer, but when Nikandros let out another fractured sound, Mira's grin widened further.

'It is the same with Ionora and I.'

'Oh,' He breathed, and felt himself relax. This shifted his perspective considerably. 'In that case,' He spared a glance at the other two. Ionora was moving in Nikandros' lap with her lips brushing his brow. She heard this exchange, and smiled lightly at Damen.

Mira reached out to brush Ionora's long hair from her face. And rose up to give a light peck on the back of her exposed neck. Mira crawled onto Nikandros' thighs behind Ionora and gripped her soft waist. She gave Damen a look, but by now he had gotten the hint. 

He sat up. 

And crawled two paces to Nikandros. 

'Sit up, friend.'

'Damen?' He asked, voice raspy. Mira was reaching for a vat of oil that had been set at the foot of the bed. 

'I want to watch them pleasure you.' He told Nikandros. 

Mira poured some oil into her palm and handed it across to Damen. Then her hands went south, to touch Ionora with expert ease and familiarity. Damen slipped his own fingers into the shallow oiled dish. 

'Are you sure?' Nikandros asked, but pushed himself up anyway. Damen shifted forward to steady him with his own body. They were pressed closely against each other, back to chest. Damen splayed his oiled hand on Nikandros' abdomen and simply held him for a breath. 

'Absolutely.' 

Nikandros tensed when Damen dragged his hand down lower. He stopped when his fingertips barely brushed the flushed skin of his cock. 

Damen said, 'May I?'

Nikandros took a deep inhale. Then he put his hand on top of Damen's and said 'Yes.'

Damen took him in hand. He felt his burning warmth, his firmness, and began to maneuver with his own practised ease. Sliding his slick fist up and down, the sight sent his own blood rushing. 

With his other free hand he felt the muscles of Nikandros' chest tense and contract with his ministrations. 

'This is,' Nikandros sighed sweetly, 'Wholly unnecessary.'

'Are you opposed? Shall I take my hands away?'

He lifted them anyway, while he waited for an answer. Nikandros took his time, Chest heaving, the skin of his back already sweating where he was pressed up against Damen. 

'No. No, this is good.' 

'What do you want? Be honest.'

'I want this. I want you to continue what you were doing.'

Damen kissed his neck, and did just that. Nikandros melted in his hands. 

Once Mira deemed Ionora was ready, Damen added more oil and helped guide Nikandros inside. Ionora was- energetic. To say the least. Damen noted the restraint that Mira's weight on Nikandros’ thighs provided and happily filed this into the back of his mind. In the midst of Nikandros' bliss, Damen took the opportunity to thoroughly massage and prod every available part of his body that Damen’s long arms could reach. 

Mira was providing sweet encouragement into her lover's ear. 

'Damen,' Nikandros gasped, and Damen felt himself twitch. 'What- else do you want?'

I want to kiss you, he thought. But, Nikandros was his dear friend. And he thought kissing him in the throes of passion would be more intimate than having Nik's cock in his hand. 

'I want you to finish outside of her.' He said instead. 

'Yes,' Agreed Mira. 'Right here.' And trailed her slim fingers up between Ionora's breasts. 

'In that case, I'm awfully close.' 

Ionora slid off and Damen's hands were right there to finish him. Ionora bent down to catch it on her skin and Damen, watching it, felt another new desire. This was surely a night of realizing things. 

And Mira- the godsend- swiped a dripping stripe off of Ionora's glowing skin and brought it to Damen's mouth. He would thank her later. For now, he was tasting Nikandros on his tongue and losing his mind. 

Nikandros, coming back to himself, gathered his limbs and drew to the side. Sluggish. He looked wrecked. Damen still had Mira's fingers in his mouth. 

'Now, we can't leave his highness like this, can we?' Said Ionora. 

'Certainly not. Lie back, would you, My Sweet?' Said Mira. Ionora, her sweet, laid down on the space between Damen and Nikandros. Mira drew her wet fingers out of Damen's mouth and put them between Ionora's legs, who drew a stuttering inhale at the feeling. 

To Damen, Mira said 'I meant it when I said I wanted to tumble with you. If you're still up for it too, that is.' She was crouching now with her face on Ionora's lower belly, and her backside exposed to the air.

Damen, being a simple man in such matters, obliged. 

He opened her up slowly, while Nikandros lazily played with Ionora's breasts. Once Damen was inside, he tried to push his other incessant desires to the back of his mind. Maybe he could speak to Nikandros later. Or perhaps he should take a male slave, or peruse the soldiers stationed back at home, to test if any man would do. If that was the root of the matter. 

He felt Nikandros' thumb at his temple, and then his hair was being drawn back. His neck was being caressed and he heard a strange sound bubble out of his throat. 

He bit his lip. He didn't want any man other than the one beside him. With half his mind he noticed Ionora reaching her climax from what Mira's fingers and tongue were doing. Damen dug his own hands into soft supple thighs and slowed down. Mira, whose mouth was now free to guide the scene once again, told him to lean back a little. Damen shifted his weight back and found Nikandros' hand there. A low, steadying weight on his spine. 

Damen's thrusts receded to shallow rolls and he was- so close. but-

'Nik,' He groaned. 'I want,'

'Yes?'

He wanted everything all at once. 

The practicality of it all hit him then. Was he to begin courting Nikandros as one would properly do? In the way of a potential lover. A life partner. Not like what was proceeding with Mira right now. 

And if he did, would Nikandros take him seriously? Were these feelings Damen was drowning in serious in the first place?

Yes, he wanted to court Nikandros. But he had never done so with someone who had already been his friend since childhood. He had no idea how to go about it and suddenly it was amusing to him, to be having this crisis while in this scenario. He huffed out a laugh and tugged on Nikandros' arm. 

'I want to feel the strong arms of a soldier around me.'

'Oh.' He gave Damen a crooked smile. And moved to wind his thick arms around his torso from behind. 

It was close enough to feel Nikandros' semi hard length against his flank and his head fell to Mira's shoulder. He felt someone's hands massaging his thigh and thought they might be Ionora's. 

'Anything for His Highness.' Said Nikandros, his voice low. And Damen lost himself. It was too much. His mind was stretched in a million different places at once but his body was here. With Nikandros. 

He heard himself tell Mira he was close. She stilled him with a hand on his hip and pulled off so that she could finish him with her mouth, and then his back was against silk sheets. His heart was pounding and he took his time catching his breath. He heard Nikandros being pleasured again and he reached- blindly for the nearest stretch of skin to touch. Anyone, anything, he didn't want to think. He just wanted to feel, and forget himself in the physical touch of others. 

Afterward, when it was much later into the night, Nikandros hefted Damen from the bed, and they made their way back to their rooms drowsily exhausted and half clothed.

-

In the morning, Damen looked at Nikandros sitting on the edge of their bed. His skin was radiating in the soft morning light. It was a handsome sight. 

His heart felt weightless in his chest, like it would float out of his ribcage if given the chance.

Damen's tongue was dry and there was an ache in his temple. 

'I've,' Said Damen. 'Taken a liking.'

'To the Kyros' daughter? You've spent one night with her and she isn't even your t-'

'Not her.' 

Nikandros turned and regarded him. 'Lady Ionora?'

'No, she's not my type either.' 

'Then who?' 

It wasn't the right place to say it. Everything was unfamiliar here. He didn't want his confession to be tangled with this place of terse politics and financial dealings. Already, his mind was going over the numbers from yesterday's talks and he rubbed at his face. 

And it still felt like a vulnerable thing in his heart. 

A new love. 

There were butterflies in his stomach. 

Once they returned to Ios, he would tell him. They would walk through the night garden, side by side, and Damen would sit him down on their favorite bench. Nikandros would talk while Damen picked small white bellflowers that he would later tangle into Nik's hair. The moon would be gentle on them, and it would be a quiet, gentle moment when Damen said-

He threw an arm over his eyes and let out a breath he was holding.

'You'll never guess it.' Said Damen. 

-

Damen stared at the reports in his hands. He saw the carefully written numbers, the perfect zeros and the account for everything he had asked for. He threw it on the table and dragged hands down his face.

'What am I not seeing?' He asked to the only other man in the room. 

Nikandros took up the papers and glaced at them. 'Who wrote this?'

'I'm going to find out.' 

He demanded an audience with Artemon. 

'Who wrote this report? I wish to speak with them.'

'Exalted, may I ask, why-'

'May I ask why this reeks of fraud? Why was I summoned here if I have yet to see any proof of sunken ships? Your lavish parties, the sailors at the dock who had nothing to tell me, and now this report that looks entirely false. What is the meaning of this Artemon?'

'Exalted. You have my deepest apologies. You see that I am old. My time is nearly over. I thought my daughter would take my seat one day, you see. I've been letting her be my shadow in preparation for that. In truth I don't do much these days. Perhaps I've been too negligent.'

'Did Mira write this report?'

'Nay, it was her friend Ionora of Dice.'

'My thanks.' Said Damen, and rose. Artemon quickly spoke up before he could leave. 

'Exalted, I do not believe her to be ill of heart. She is like a second daughter to me.'

'I will judge that for myself once I know the truth.'

The household attendants pointed him to Mira's chambers, which he was advised would house both women he was looking for. He made the familiar trek through the halls. Remembering last night, he had the nearest attendant announce his presence before he walked in. 

They were standing side by side when he entered. He motioned for them to sit and tossed the report onto the low table in front of them while he took a seat on the remaining reclining couch. 

'Were there ever any pirates? I want the truth.' He said.

Neither of them spoke. Damen tried again. 'I have reason to believe this is an attempt to steal from the crown. It will be easier for you both if you talk. Otherwise I will have to order a formal investigation and if evidence of past crimes have been found, at the very least you will face a large fine. Now, tell me, is it true pirates sunk two dozen of your finest ships?'

It was Mira who spoke first. 'No, Exalted. There were no pirates.' Beside her, Ionora went pale. 

'Then why am I here?' 

'Because-' Mira began, but Ionora stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. Damen looked at her. 

'You are right.' Said Ionora. 'It was a ploy. I will not deny this. And this is not the first time, either. You see, my father is not a very nice man. He sets these kinds of traps all the time, and sends me to do his dirty work.'

'But she hates doing it, Exalted. Ionora is unwilling, he forced her hand!'

'You've still committed crimes.' Said Damen.

'He threatened to take her life if she didn't comply. She has letters, as proof. And scars. You've seen them.' 

'Is this true?'

'Yes.'

Damen leaned back and passed his eyes over them both. They sat rigid. Mira looked fearful. Ionora was nearly trembling with tension, her eyes downcast with resignation. 

'So your solution was to steal from the crown, so that you would be caught and your father would be forced to comply with the law?'

'Yes.'

'In truth, this was a ploy against your father.' 

Ionora nodded. 

'What will you if he is found guilty and you cannot return to your household, Ionora?'

'I will stay here in Isthima with my wife.' 

Mira let out a sound and reached out to clasp her partner's hand. 

'Are you prepared to face him in court for a trial?' Damen asked.

Ionora's hands were shaking, but her voice was hard. 'Yes.'

'That is good to hear, and I will trust your word. I do believe this matter is now settled, yes?'

Both of them said their affirmatives, and Damen stood up to give them privacy. He was sure it was greatly needed, for the decision to merge their lives into one. And Damen, too, was ready to put this all behind him and get on with the next chapter in his own life. 

He found Nikandros and said, 'It is dealt with it. We can leave on the first boat tomorrow.'

Nikandros quickly sat up. 'You sound like you've killed everyone and are ready to make your escape. What happened?'

'It actually went quite well. The truth is there were no pirates, and now Mira and Ionora are getting married.'

-

The heat of the sun was molten iron against Damen's back. 

He could feel the fresh blood hardening on his skin. It crusted on his nose and lips and he spoke carefully to not let it into his mouth. 

'Your win, Brother.' His voice came out strange. Nasally, and thick with his heated blood dripping heavily in shiny red splotches on the brown soil underfoot. 

Kastor accepted the cloth handed to him by an attendant to wipe Damen's blood off his knuckles. A similar cloth was given to Damen to stop his bloody nose. 

Kastor nodded in Damen's direction but said nothing, and did not look at him. Nikandros watched this all unfold a few meters away. 

'How many losses does that make?' Nikandros asked Damen as he approached the scene. 

'Twenty three.' Damen spoke with his attention at his feet. 'It's strange, I thought I had him. I'm not sure what happened.'

'He tripped you, and once you were already falling he delivered a disorienting blow to  
your face.'

Damen hummed. Blood was already crusting in his fingernails. 'What kind of tactic is that?'

'A lousy one.' He ignored the look Damen sent him. 'I don't know why you keep accepting his dueling challenges.'

Damen shrugged. 'It's what brothers do.'

'What? Get violent every time you spend casual time together? Where one of you always plays dirty and may I remind you, has speared the other-'

'I don't need the reminder, actually.'

'Damen, I don't believe he grants you bloody wounds as a gift of brotherly affection.'

'Nikandros, how many times must I ask you not to speak of Kastor this way?'

'Is the truth too much for you?'

'No, Nik.' Damen sighed. At the exit of the training hall, there was a table with a basin of clean water. Damen cupped his hands and dipped them in. He washed the sweat and remaining blood off his mouth and chin. 

'If he broke your nose, I-' 

'Do not finish that sentence. It's not broken. And Kastor is not out to do me harm. These things happen.'

'I watched him deliberately throw a blow at your face when you were already down.'

'Well, I didn't see it.'

'That doesn't mean it didn't happen. You're still bleeding!' Nikandros exclaimed and took the towel from Damen's hands. He dabbed a corner of it softly at the fresh trail of blood. 

'Ok. Even if he did, it means nothing.'

'How can you say that?'

'Because he is my _brother_.' Said Damen. He stepped back from Nikandros, who stood there with his hand still raised, towel dripping. 

Damen leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling. He took steady breaths and after a while, unclenched his fists. 

'Kastor is my family, and I could never harm him. So I don't see how he could be malicious towards me. I've never seen it. Even when he-' Damen gestured at his torso, the scar not needing to be shown. Nikandros had seen it a hundred times. 'It had to have been an accident. I will not be convinced otherwise, not even by you.' 

-

The thing about Nikandros was that he had a practical mind. He was always looking for the reason in things, always looking for solutions of greater good. Even if he wasn't a personal fan of the outcome or the steps needed to take to achieve them. Even if Damen wasn't a fan. 

This is why Damen valued Nikandros' counsel. A friend who would challenge him was better than one who would agree with him in all things.

But this didn't mean Nikandros was always right. Especially not when it came to his opinions of Kastor. 

His brother wasn't the kindest person, sure. And Damen couldn't even claim any semblance of closeness between them. Especially not now as adults. But they were family. And that simple fact meant everything to Damen. 

Hearing Nikandros speak poorly of his brother had never been easy to stomach, but it got more difficult recently with the growing rift between himself and Kastor. They hardly spent any casual time together outside of mealtime. The rift sat heavily in Damen's stomach. 

Distraction from these tumultuous thoughts came in the form of new court members. This week there were visitors from Thrace, the daughter of its Kyros had come with her friends to see the cliffs. They were a young group of girls, bright eyed and swathed in experimental fashion. Damen showed them the library when asked, and that was as far as his interactions with them went. Later in the week, a brother of one of the girls arrived as well. He was older, and had an interest in architecture. Damen spent a lot of time with them. 

There were new slaves in the house as well. Not only those who were with the visiting perties. Two slaves had joined Damen's household. One of them was Pyyrhus, and the other was a companion who had also previously been under Nereus's roof. 

The pair of them stayed close together, and Damen did not deny them this comfort. However he frequently had Lykaios by their side. To instruct them the ways of the palace, but also to try and ease them out of their frightened shells. It would be a long process. 

Nereus' twin brothers surprised Damen with their presence, as well. They claimed to have had no knowledge of Nereus' mistreatment of slaves, and vowed to keep a closer eye on him from now on. Damen trusted their words only after witnessing Pyyrhus' joy at seeing them again. 

The twins provided surprisingly enjoyable company. They were young, but they were soldiers. Damen was comfortable with no one more than a fellow man who could stand his own on the battlefield. As per their request, he put them through intense training, and agreed to let them join his ranks when they were of age. 

In the weeks that went by, Damen saw very little of Nikandros. In truth he didn't know if he was still in Ios. 

Then one day he reappeared in Damen's rooms without warning and all was as it was before. Damen's mood immediately lifted from having Nikandros by his side again. 

And Nikandros did not speak poorly of Kastor again. 

This didn't mean his disdain wasn't clearly discernable in other ways. The clipped tone of his voice when speaking to Kastor, the glares he threw at his back when he was sure Damen was watching, and his punctuated silence whenever Damen brought up any topics regarding his brother. 

Damen figured Nikandros would tire of it eventually. 

In the meantime, he was determined to distract Nikandros, and himself, from the topic entirely. They went riding, they spent nights in the town, and they frequently went swimming in the nearby rivers. 

Today they were packing for a trip to Delpha. It was Nikandros' idea. 

Damen hadn't been up there in a few years, and the summer would be a lot more bearable so far north. Seeing as how this was a trip sprung from pleasure rather than necessity, they were able to take their time. The entirety of Akielos thrived in the summertime, so they loosely planned out a route that would take them through the most beautiful parts of the country. 

With a small entourage of guards, they headed out with only as many belongings and supplies their horses could comfortably carry.

On the first day, they traveled to a remote beach off the shore of Kesus where they caught their own fish to roast, and swam in the calm clear waters until the sun sat low. Damen would have liked to stay and watch the sunset as he sat next to Nikandros, still dripping wet from the ocean, the orange light of the sun doing wonderful things to his eyes. 

But he would have more chances for that. 

They rode to the nearest town while the setting sun stretched and overlapped their shadows. Despite the small size of the town, the inn they chose to stay at was nearly packed. There were two rooms available, and one of them only provided a single bed. Damen's guards offered to find alternate sleeping accommodations so that Nikandros and Damen could each take a room, but he declined. 

After all, he and Nikandros had shared a bed countless times. So he declared the single-bed room theirs, and allowed his guards to take the multi-bed room. 

Within seconds of entering the room, Damen stripped, flopped onto the bed, and closed his eyes. 

But as it turned out, his heart had a mind of its own, as it insisted on racing at the mere proximity of Nikandros beside him on the small bed. He shifted onto his back to reduce any chance of Nikandros hearing it trying to crash its way out of Damen's ribcage. 

'Sorry,' Said Nikandros. 'Is it too hot? Let me open the window all the way.'

He got up before Damen could answer and in doing so, provided Damen with a gorgeous view. Which in turn did nothing to alleviate how hot Damen was feeling. He groaned internally and shut his eyes. 

The bed creaked when Nikandros shuffled back into it. 

He was infinitely grateful that Nikandros had the sense to keep his limbs to himself, to avoid them both becoming more sweaty than they needed to be. 

Damen thought he might finally fall asleep after that. He wasn't someone who ever really had trouble falling asleep. Unlike Nikandros, who was right next to him, and every time he moved Damen couldn't help but wonder if he was asleep yet. And then, after an what seemed like eternity spent fixated on the sound of Nikandros' breathing, Nikandros rolled himself halfway onto Damen with the utter disregard of personal space that could only be achieved by a man in deep slumber. 

Damen felt each of his muscles relax in turn. The clean scent of Nikandros' still damp hair intermingled with the crisp ocean breeze blowing in through the window and filled Damen's senses until at last his mind too sank into those quiet restful depths. 

-

In the morning they ate breakfast at the inn. On the streets they bought dried meat and bread and packed them away tightly for later. 

At the northern tip of Mellos, near the Patran border, they found a good place to stop.

There was a small stream nearby which provided needed refreshment for the horses. Damen crouched to refill his drinking flask and retied it back to his hip. He rinsed his face with the clear cold water and extended his palm up to cool down his forehead. 

Behind him, Nikandros was tying his horse to a sturdy tree. Damen followed suit, and together they and the guards set up a camp. 

By the time they had a substantial fire crackling in a pit in the center of their cots, the sun had dipped below the horizon. A chill settled within the ring of night that the fire couldn't reach. 

They ate their meager feast of smoked meat and butterless bread while Damen encouraged his guards to share camping stories from their youths.

'There was a time my sister took down a boar that threatened our camp, while our father was off fishing.' Said the shorter one. His name was Ariston.

'All by herself? You didn't help?' Nikandros asked. 

'I was seven at the time.' He clarified. 'But that incident was what inspired me to train in earnest.' 

'Considering you started that young, there's not much to show for it.' The other guard, Kallias, joked.

Ariston said, 'If that's so, then why do you always lose when we spar?'

''Always' is an overstatement.' 

'It's a fact.' 

'There was that one time when-'

'I feigned to have been hit, to give you a false sense of victory before striking you down?'

'That's dirty, I was the one to teach you that trick!'

'Maybe so. But I executed it better than you ever could.' 

'Prince Damianos, permission for Ariston and I to step away for a moment so that I may eviscerate him?'

'Granted.' Damen nodded at them. A healthy rivalry was good between friends.

Immediately they were on their feet with swords in hand, retreating some yards into the night.

From beside him, Nikandros asked, 'Who do you think will win?'

'My bet is on Kallias.' Said Damen.

'Why's that?'

'He's good with sudden battle. Ariston is an admirable fighter, but he's better once he's warmed up.'

'You should consider, however, that you are audience to just the two of them. Without the familiar company of their peers at the training grounds. I've seen Kallias get flustered merely from your presence on the days you've dropped by to oversee training. Most of the younger boys do. But it's just him now. That makes it all the more nerve wracking. I'll be surprised if his sword doesn't go flying out of his sweaty palms.'

'Perhaps the performance adrenaline will be what he needs to finally win.' 

'And what shall we bet on that?' Nikandros grinned.

Damen's eyes flickered to Nikandros' lips for half a second. 'I.. would have a request.'

'A favor?'

'Of sorts.'

They shook on it, and in the distance Ariston and Kallias were silhouettes in the thick darkness. Even so, Damen knew it was Ariston's shorter, stockier form, that got his leg hooked around Kallias' ankle. Kallias hit the ground with a groan. While still sprawled in the grass, he shouted for a rematch. Twice more he was knocked down. 

Damen was both disappointed and relieved at having lost. He willed his pulse to slow down to a reasonable pace. 

'Do you have a request you would have me fill?' Damen asked.

'None that come to mind presently. Though I'm curious what yours might have been.'

'I'll save it for another time.'

'That makes the curiosity nearly unbearable.' Nikandros said. But Damen only gave him a wide grin and a nudge to the side. As Ariston dragged Kallian back sweating and grumbling back to their camp, Damen stood up.

'Well fought, Ariston.' He said. 'Kallias, you must learn to use your height, not rely on it as an advantage in all battles.' 

'Exalted. Your words are much appreciated.' Kallias beamed at him, despite sporting a cut lip and slight limp.

Damen clapped him on the shoulder. 'Get your rest, both of you. We rise early tomorrow.' 

Once the two of them disappeared into their tent, Nikandros spoke up. 

'Would you stay up with me a while longer?' He asked. 

'Is there a reason? Does something weight your mind?' 

'Perhaps my request, my prize for winning, is to have you stargaze with me.'

'In that case, I cannot decline.' Damen said, although he had moved to sit back down next to Nikandros as soon as he asked. In the dying light of the campfire, they gazed at each other briefly. Nikandros looked away first. He looked at the pile of embers, their tents, the treeline, and then at the sky. Damen glanced up for a minute as well. 

It was beautiful, but his eyes drifted back to his dear friend beside him.

Then, Nikandros said, 'I do not wish to cause a rift between you and Kastor.'

Damen looked down at his clasped hands. 

'I know.' He said. 'But I do not wish to think about my brother for the duration of this trip.'

Nikandros didn't look happy to hear that, but he relented with a slow nod. 

Damen let out a sigh through his nose and toed at the grass under his feet. He was acutely aware of his heart beating in his chest and he idly wondered what Nikandros' heart rate was. He would know the answer if he took Nikandros' hand in his own, and felt the press of their wrists against each other. 

He wanted to tell Nikandros the state of his heart, and the nature of his feelings. Yet the words held too much weight to simply fall past his lips. 

It came as a revelation, then, that Nikandros had never expressed any interest in men. Nor much in women, really, but Damen had thought that to be a result of the dedication he held for his work. A trait Damen admired. But Nikandros had never pursued anyone, or laid with a woman for more than a single night. He never made any indication of his heart's desires. 

Suddenly it seemed misplaced for Damen to voice his very strong and very romantic feelings during this night or any other. He was faced now with the realistic possibility of rejection or dismissal, or the worst case scenario of ruining their close companionship. 

And yet his entire body ached to say the words. 

'What are your thoughts?' Asked Nikandros, effectively breaking the silence along with Damen's internal collapse. Damen had to remind himself to breathe.

'I was thinking that if there were ever a thing that could push us apart, it would not be your distaste for Kastor.'

'What, then?'

'It would have to be something more personal. Like.. love, perhaps.' 

Nikandros stilled, and said nothing for a stretch of time. 

'You mean, if we ever fell in love with the same person?' Nikandros asked, quietly. 

'Hypothetically speaking, of course.' Damen quickly clarified.

'I don't think you have to worry about that.'

'...How can you be sure?'

'Well, Damen, you like blondes.'

Despite himself, Damen laughed. When he heard shuffling in Kallias and Ariston's tent, he quieted down, leaning closer to Nikandros with a grin. 'And you? What do you like?'

'Dark curls.' Said Nikandros, after giving it some thought. 'There are few things more satisfying than catching a glimpse of a full head of curls.'

'Only a glimpse? What of the feeling of them between your fingers?'

'I can only dream of experiencing such wonders.' 

'Grow out your own hair and have that curiosity sated at last.' 

Nikandros scrunched up his nose, but he was smiling. 'That isn't the same.'

'Then should I bend my neck and let you feel mine?' He offered jokingly, but when Nikandros didn't immediately deny him, it sent a flush across Damen's skin. He carefully tilted his head to the side.

'May I?' Nikandros practically whispered. 

'If you so desire, yes.' 

And then there was a hand in his hair, calloused and large and there were fingernails scraping slightly along his skull, down all the way to his neck agonisingly slow, and when exactly did Damen close his eyes? He opened them but didn't trust himself to look up at Nikandros, for the fear of showing too much in his gaze. He let his eyes slip closed again. Nikandros was now pulling softly on a fistful of locks and Damen felt himself go completely lax. 

Maybe this hadn't been a good idea. But Damen was going to memorize every second of it. 

A sound to his right caused Damen's eyes to snap back open. With a deep intake of breath through his mouth, he drew back from Nikandros and took in the sight of Kallias standing with one foot out of his tent.

When they made eye contact, Kallias quickly said, 'Just getting up to piss. Exalted.' and then briskly made his way towards the trees. 

Damen made an effort to untense each of his muscles. Beside him, Nikandros shifted and then stood up. 

'I think it best if I went to bed now.'

'Good. That.. sounds good.' Damen cleared his throat. 'I'll stay here a while longer.'

'Don't stay up too long, the fire is long gone.'

Damen looked to the ashes of the campfire and was surprised to see this was true. He hadn't noticed, with how high his body temperature had risen. 

When Kallias at last shuffled back to the camp, he stopped at the foot of his tent.

'Apologies. For interrupting.' Kallias whispered.

'Sleep.' Damen said, meaning it as a gentle order. But it came out louder than intended, and somewhat defensive.

Immediately Kallias scrambled back into his tent and Damen took this opportunity of solitude to drag his hands down his face. Damen did not often doubt himself. He was an excellent warrior, one who led armies as a boy, and currently stood unrivaled champion of the okton. He was Damianos the Prince-Killer. 

Yet he doubted his decision to pursue the heart of his best friend. He was closer to no one else in his life than Nikandros, and the potential loss of that was not one to be taken lightly. 

But Damen didn't know how he would live if he made no attempt.

To live his the rest of his life always wondering what _could've been_ would be the death of him. The idea of being able to hold Nikandros like a lover, to kiss him and in return be touched by him, seemed worth the risk. Dangerously so.

Damen let out a shaky breath into the night and stood up. He would sleep on it, and whatever his heart told him to do when he next saw Nikandros would be his final decision. 

\- 

In the morning, they hunted. Together they caught a bustle of rabbits.

Unsurprisingly, in the soft light of dawn, Nikandros looked like the sun. Resigned, Damen allowed what he felt for Nikandros to settle in his bones. He would not fight it. Damen was a man capable of many things, but denying himself the honest expression of affection was not one of them. 

On the way back to camp, Damen slung his arm around Nikandros' waist and pulled him close. 

'Have I ever told you how much I love watching you hunt?' Said Damen.

'No.' Nikandros nudged him. 'But by all means, continue.'

Damen grinned. 'Your concentration is very attractive. And seeing you so quiet for a change does things to the heart.' 

'Alright, that's enough.' Nikandros said, though there was a pink tint to his cheeks. Damen burned the sight into his memory. 

As soon as they returned to the camp, the four of them skinned and gutted the rabbits. Then Kallias offered to stay back and tend to the roasting while the others went to bathe in the nearby river. Damen was not oblivious to the assessing looks Kallias had been giving him and Nikandros all morning. 

With the climbing heat of the midmorning sun, the ice cold river was a welcome refreshment. They bathed until their toes became prunes, and by the time they got out of the water, the rabbits were finished. Around the fire, they sat to dry and eat. Once all the meat was gone, Kallias went to bathe while the rest of them dressed and took down their small camp. 

'Where do you want to go now, Nik?' Asked Damen, while tying his cot to the side of his horse.

'I hear the food is divine in Aegina.' He said. 

'Are wild rabbits not to your liking?' 

'Admittedly I long for fresh vegetables. And soup.' 

-

A few days after their detour in Aegina, which did in fact provide them with some of the best meals Damen had ever tasted, and filled their travelling packs with delicious dried fruits to take with them, they arrive in Sicyon. The land of rolling hills, farmlands, and politics. It was inevitable that the closer one got to the Veretian border, the more politics would be pushed to the forefront of everything. 

Damen wasn't upset by it. This was part of being the crown prince. But as this was the circumstance, he had less time alone with Nikandros. He assured himself that once they arrived in Delpha, he would have a chance to sit down with Nikandros and talk to him. About everything.

Luck was not on his side. 

In Delpha, there was overseeing the battlements. Gracing the northern troops with his presence and familiarizing himself with them. The men needed to know who they fought for. Allowing them to eat bread with Damen and test their skills at tossing him around in a wrestling ring, was more effective than delivering a speech about the honor in taking up arms for one's country. It was tiring, too.

Damen loved it. But he longed to have a moment with Nikandros. 

And now, the night before they were meant to begin their journey back to Ios, Damen laid on his back in Nikandros' bed and put in enormous effort to not fall asleep. 

Nikandros was clattering away in a corner of the room. 

'Come to bed.' Said Damen. Although it came out more like a wordless groan. 

Some time later—Damen was unsure how long because he kept dozing off every time his eyes fell closed for more than a second—there was a dip in the bed and Nikandros' hands were tugging at the blanket.

On the third attempt, Damen opened his eyes. He reached for Nikandros.

'How lucky am I to have the young and incredibly skilled Kyros of _Delpha_ in my bed?'

'Says the Prince of Akielos. And this is my bed. Are you drunk?'

'A little bit. Makedon's griva is not to be underestimated.'

Nikandros laughed. Then he pressed a quick kiss to Damen's forehead, which temporarily stopped Damen's lungs from functioning. 

'Sleep.' Said Nikandros. 

And how could Damen deny a request from an angel's lips? His last thought before succumbing to sleep was that he hoped to take an extremely long bath upon his return to Ios, and fall into bed with Nikandros and Lykaios for an entire day. 

-

That is not what happened. 

Damen was greeted back to Ios with seemingly half the country present. People of noble blood often jumped at any opportunity to attend a party. This hardly seemed like a reasonable cause, and yet the halls were crowded with intermingling visitors. 

Damen even bumped into Nereus, of all people. 

After making a quick greeting that just barely passed as tolerable, Damen quickly put distance between the two of them and promptly bumped into twenty others who wished to share words with him. 

After what seemed an eternity, the gods blessed him with Nikandros' presence, good and perfect Nikandros, who appeared at his side with two glasses of wine. Damen could have kissed Nikandros for saving him. And he might even have done just that, if Artemon of Isthima hadn't shown up then.

Once he had formally greeted them both, Artemon said, 'Thank the gods for allowing me to catch your ear for moment, Exalted. My daughter has extended an invitation to her wedding, and we would be honored if you were able to come. It's a shame she was unable to deliver the message to you herself, but Mira practically runs the household these days.'

'Send my congratulations upon your return. How is Mira?' Asked Damen. 

'I've never seen her happier. Both her and Lady Ionora.' Artemon's eyes sparkled as he said this, and Damen smiled. 

'Such news warms the heart.' Said Damen. 'When is the ceremony?'

'The first of winter.' 

Damen assured Artemon he would be there. And in truth he was genuinely happy to hear of Mira and Ionora's engagement. But when Artemon launched headfirst into detail about the nuanced preparations they were already going through- like quarreling about which color to use for their theme (seafoam and wine red were the two choices. Damen was tempted to say they should just use both. Nikandros was unhelpful with his suggestion of gold), he had to make an exit. 

'My apologies, Artemon. I just remembered some urgent pressing matter that I must attend.' He said, taking a step back. 'It was good seeing you, and I hope to get the chance to speak to you again soon.'

'Certainly, Exalted. Perhaps Nikandros could offer more ideas for the wedding. I had no idea he had an interest in interior design.' 

'Absolutely not.' Damen said. Then quickly added: 'He is also late for this very important matter.'

Once they dipped out of the room, Damen closed his eyes and felt a hundred times calmer. But not completely. He straightened and scanned the corridor. 

'What is this secret emergency meeting?' Nikandros asked.

'You will know,' Damen poked his head around a corner to scan for guards. 'If you help me make a stealthy escape.'

'Where to?'

'At this point I will take anywhere we won't be interrupted.' 

The sound of soft footsteps was heard approaching their position, so Nikandros pulled Damen into the nearest room. It was a small sunroom, used for receiving guests in the springtime. On the side of the room closest to the door was a display of curtains that hung from the ceiling to the very floor. On the other side the room was open to the air, as if it was melting into the garden just outside. Or, if the room was being consumed by plants.

Damen's eyes caught on a bundle of sunflowers in the center of the room and was reminded of Nereus' particular fondness for them. Then he heard Nereus' voice outside. It was getting closer. 

Again, Nikandros manhandled him. This time he was pushed behind one of the large heavy curtains and Damen was about to say 'We are too large, this will never work, have you finally lost it.' when the door opened and in strolled Nereus followed by five of his court members. 

Autumn in Ios was warm. Not as stifling as summer, but it was dry and could be relentless on some days. Standing behind the curtains, Damen felt his entire body being burned alive. Nikandros' hot breath on his shoulder really didn't aid the situation. 

Knowing Nereus could talk for days without stopping, Damen was brave enough to whisper, 'If we don't get out of this I will have a stroke.'

'Calm down. It's just like marching in armor.'

But he moved slowly and carefully to the edge of the curtain to peek out. He slid back just as carefully and said directly into Damen's ear; 

'We're doomed.'

Damen closed his eyes. 'It was a good life.'

Nikandros said, 'I'm going to pull down the curtains and we'll use it as a sheet to disguise us as we run away.'

'What-'

'Try not to fall behind.' 

There were shouts and a series of loud crashes when the curtains came down. But in a flurry of red satin and linked arms, they ran. Out the opened wall and into the garden. Their sandals hit the stones and a call for guards followed them. But they were fast and once they were out of sight, Nikandros bundled up the curtain and threw it over a railing. It unfurled and drifted down to the ocean.

They walked a few more steps but it was inevitable the guard would arrive, running to any source of trouble. 

Nikandros drew his sword as they approached. 

'What is the commotion?' Nikandros asked.

'An unidentified intruder was spotted in the sunroom.' Said the guard. 'They ran in this direction but we have no other information, Sir.'

'We heard the noise. But we didn't see anyone go this way. Keep a lookout.'

'Yes sir.' He bowed. 'Exalted, it might be best for you to stay in your rooms while we do a full palace search for the perpetrator.' 

Damen calmly agreed and was escorted. At his doors, two guards attempted to follow him but he held them back with an outraised hand. 

To which they protested. 

'Exalted, with all due respect, your safety is at risk.'

'Nikandros will be enough. You may keep guard outside. Line the halls with a dozen men if it makes you feel better.' 

The guards were reluctant, but said no more. The door shut between them with a soothing thud and finalizing click. 

'I hope we haven't just caused a national security crisis.' Said Damen.

'Oh there's nothing to worry about. They have no one to find. Besides a bright red cloth at the bottom of the cliffs that will be hard to miss in the morning.'

Damen looked at him. Even if it would cause problems for him later, their little trick had worked, and they were now alone in a room together. He could feel guilty about it later. For now, there was this. 

Damen felt nervous. He went and rinsed his hands and face in a nearby washbin. The water was lukewarm. 

'Now that you've gotten your peace, do you want me to leave you? There is no danger, after all.' Said Nikandros.

'You'll have to crawl out the balcony and scale the cliffs.

'I've always wanted to take up rock climbing.'

'I actually wanted to speak to you.' Damen said, but it sounded too formal. He frowned and opened his mouth to say something better but his mind went blank.

'I was just wondering,' He began.

'Yes?'

'It's nothing serious. But I wanted to know..'

A moment stretched out. 

Damen changed his approach. 'Do you remember when I said I'd taken a liking to someone? Well, I'll tell you who it is. But first I want to know if you also have someone. There must be someone.'

Nikandros looked at him for a long time. He huffed out a laugh through his nose.

'Is this a trick question?'

'Why would it be?' 

'Um,' He looked away so Damen couldn't see his face. 'It wouldn't.'

Damen stepped forward. 

'Is there someone?'

'... Maybe? I'm not sure yet.' He pushed a hand through his short hair and gave a small shake of his head. His curls tangled around his calloused brown fingers. 'No, it's not that. There is someone. But it's... not easy for me.'

'What isn't?' Damen sat down next to him on the low couch. 

'Acting on my affections, I suppose. I know for you it's easier. You love people the same way the sun rises every day. It's natural for you, and everyone loves you back. For me there has only ever been-

One person.'

'For how long?'

'Always.'

'I see. Do you plan to pursue them?'

Nikandros gave a sad laugh that curled around Damen's heart and stung. 

'Not a chance.' Said Nikandros.

'Why is that?'

'Because he is destined for greatness. His future is set out for him and I have no place trying to take the seat of his lover.' 

'But that is what you want? To be his lover?'

'I want- him to be happy. As long as I can be by his side, to protect his wellbeing, that is enough for me.'

'I see. I think you've made up your choice. But may I say this? I think any man would be lucky to have you. You are a brilliant soldier, tactician, and companion. I'd rather have no one else as my closest friend. After my father, you are the greatest man I know.' 

Nikandros looked at him, eyes wide, brows furrowed. There was a crease at the side of his downturned mouth.

'He deserves a women to raise a family with.' 

'Is he exclusive to women?'

'No, but- he has to have a family.'

'There are options that allow men to raise children together.'

'In this case, bloodline is somewhat valued.'

'He is highborn, then? Do I know him?'

'I can't say.'

'It's not Nereus?'

'God no.' He shoved at Damen, laughing a little. But he was still visibly tense. Damen touched his arm and gave it a brief caress, meant as comfort. Nothing more. 

Nikandros continued; 'No, he is much kinder. And stronger. Intelligent. And handsome, he's very handsome.'

'You love him.'

'I do.'

Damen drew Nikandros' arm closer and felt along his tendons. There was a scar on the side of his forearm, from sword battle no doubt. He felt the rough surface of it with his thumb. 

'So, will you tell me about your love now?' Nikandros asked. His eyes had a slight watery sheen when Damen looked up at him. 

And as he did, Nikandros reached out to brush a stray tumble of long hair from his eyes. He tucked it behind Damen's ear and brushed his jaw on the retreat. 

'I already have.' Said Damen. 

'What? Who?'

He heard his voice say it before his mind caught up. A simple word. Quiet, but unmistakably clear. 

'You.'

His subsequent thought was that surely now the world would end. But nothing happened. Nikandros didn't move, in fact he was very still. Damen felt his grip on Nik's hand reflexively tighten. 

He didn't want to take it back. But he couldn't say anything else either, as his body was currently feeling a million things at once. Some not too pleasant. He felt himself begin to sweat, but still no one said anything. Until;

'You,' Said Nikandros. 'Are fond of me? In that way?'

'I love you.' Said Damen, and meant it. 'I know now that your love lies elsewhere. What you said about wanting your man to be happy, and being satisfied with just that, it.. makes sense. And even though I initially had entertained other possibilities, I now want to support you and your feelings.' 

'What other possibilities?'

'I wanted to court you.' 

Damen finally withdrew all his limbs to himself. Nikandros' hand remained suspended before it too, drooped to the few centimeters of cushion between them. 

Nikandros swallowed, and then blinked a few times. Then he looked out at the room, and rubbed at his leg. Which Damen knew to be a nervous habit. 

'I apologize if this makes you uncomfortable. I didn't know if I should tell you or keep it to myself and just now it slipped out. Before I had fully decided.'

'How long have you felt this way..?'

'I've always been very fond of you, as one loves a dear friend.' Damen bit his lip. 'But it developed into something else with time.' He said. 'I didn't realize the full extent of it until we were together in Isthima. I almost told you then.'

'Is that true?'

'Entirely.' Damen smiled at him helplessly, but he still didn't feel at ease. 

He felt vulnerable and unsure how to proceed.

Nikandros shifted, sat up straighter and drew his knee onto the cushion, to face him directly. The leather of his sandal hissed against stone amidst his readjustment. 

'I want to be honest with you too.' 

'I-' Nikandros felt forward to press his fingers into the palm of Damen's hand. Then he flipped it over and clasped his index finger. Damen looked down and observed the size different. Nikandros' fingers were slightly thinner, and his nails were battered despite being clean. The hands of a soldier. 

'Damen, the- the man I am in love with. Is in fact- His name is Damianos.' He said this as a near whisper. 'Prince of Akielos. My dearest friend, it is you.'

This time, it really did feel like the entire world was reeling. 

Damen felt like surely his heart would spill out of his chest. In a heaping mass of nerves and this impossible feeling.

It was too much for a single man to handle. He didn't know what to do with it, or if it was even possible to control it. His hands moved forward of their own accord to- he wasn't sure. He just wanted to feel Nikandros in his hands, to feel his stability and see if his pulse was racing just the same. 

But Nikandros took his wrists and held him still. 

He said; 'But I meant it, when I said I can't be your lover.' 

Damen blinked once. Twice.

'I know that's not what you want to hear, but you have to understand.' Nikandros stood up. Damen wanted to follow him but couldn't move. Every nerve in his body was singing.

'I had accepted that you and I were not meant to be lovers. Even now. This doesn't change things.'

'Nikandros-'

'My feelings are not casual. I cannot- hold you for a moment knowing I'd have to give you up later. It's all or nothing.'

'I'd never give you up.' Said Damen.

'I know you prefer women.' Nikandros' voice was gentle, and it was true, but it did nothing to ease Damen's terrible sinking feeling. 

'Can you let me show you? The extent of my feelings.' 

Nikandros looked at him, but Damen could see he was trying to hide. His expression and all his thoughts, to push them down and appear neutral but that was never something Nikandros was very good at. He was a passionate man. And it felt wrong to see him like this. It shouldn't have to be like this. 

Damen stood up. 

'No. I already know you are a sweet lover.' Nikandros said. 

'I want you to experience it for yourself.'

' _Damen_ ,' He took a deep breath and swiped a hand over his face. 'Will you just think-'

'You're always thinking.' Damen said softly. 'About this and that and everything that could ever go wrong. You've kept me out of trouble enough times. I hear what you are saying, but why can we not be reckless for a moment?'

'Do you remember the last time we were reckless and-'

'Nikandros, we are two people in love. Why can't we enjoy that for what it is?'

'Because-'

'Is an heir the only problem? There is time for that, later. Right now there is us.'

''Us.''

'I was so happy when you said it was me. Isn't it the same with you?'

He drew Nikandros' hand to the beating heart in his chest and held him there. A pulse hammered rapidly against his palm.

Nikandros looked down. Bit his lip. Glanced somewhere to the side. 

'It is- the same.'

Slowly, his fingers curled against Damen's chest. He leaned forward, and put his head on Damen's collar. Damen felt the shapes of his back with his hand as they stood. 

'What does this mean for us?' Nikandros whispered. 

'It can mean whatever you want.'

'Do you remember when you kissed me? When we were younger. I still think about it.' He said this with his lips against the bared skin of Damen's shoulder. 

'Even now?'

'It haunts me. It was the worst kiss of my life.'

A quiet laugh pushed itself out of Damen. 'Shall I make it up to you?'

Damen was smiling. And that made Nikandros smile too. When they kissed, it was a mixture of smiles, something unsure at first, then pressing into something solid. There was a sureness to it. Damen was saying 'We are here, together, we are here.' 

Nikandros held him, and Damen thought it was too good to be true. 

But the heat of it, and the hands pulling at him here and there, were incessant. He felt it all. The sweetness of Nikandros, the strength of him, the feathery way his lips brushed against his body. 

In the morning, they were still in each other's arms. 

Damen kissed the top of Nik's head, because it was there. They were here. And Nikandros was looking at him. 

He said, voice gruff with sleep, 'Good morning.' 

Nikandros kissed him in agreement. Damen tightened his grip around his torso, trying to pull him impossibly closer. He said, 'Are you going to tell me you still feel this is a bad idea?' 

There was a period of silence in which Nikandros felt along Damen's side. Up and down, slowly, fingers across ribs. 

'Perhaps I should, but.. no. I feel at ease.'

There were birds outside chirping nearby. As if saying 'Yes, the world is still here.'

-

Two weeks later, they sidle up their horses before dawn and ride north. 

They stopped on a hill with a view of Ios. With legs pressed flush against each other, they watched the sunrise. Damen moved his hand from Nik's shoulder to the back of his neck and simply held him there, his thumb slowly moving back and forth across his skin. 

Nikandros allowed it to happen as one allows a lion to approach, unmoving. 

'Taken a liking have you?' He asked. 

'Yes.' Damen smiled brightly. 

Yet Nikandros felt his stomach churn unpleasantly. There was something that had been nagging in his mind. He wanted more than anything to be able to allow himself the joy of simply being with Damen in a way he had only ever dreamed of. He had tried, for two weeks, to give himself that. 

And it had been glorious. 

And yet. Nikandros could not ignore the rock festering in his stomach.

'Damen,' Said Nikandros. 'You need an heir.' 

Damen looked at him. He curled closer and kissed Nikandros on the shoulder. 

'This again?' He asked. 'We can have a mistress, Nikandros. It has been done before, in the past. With two men on the throne here in Ios.'

'I see you have thought about it.'

'Haven't you?'

_Yes._ He thought. He couldn't _stop_ thinking about it. 

'I am not made for the throne, Damianos. I am a soldier. I lead armies.' 

'As do I.' Said Damen, though now he had pulled away and was now studying Nikandros with concern. 

'My home is in the north. In Delpha.' He said it, but there was no truth to it. His home was with Damen. He was afraid they both knew it. 'Besides, I might die young on the field, as most soldiers do.' 

Damen brushed a hand against Nikandros' cheek. He said nothing. 

And then, 'I know the risks.' He said. 'I know this will not be easy, a committed relationship rarely is. But I want this with you. Will you deny this from me? From yourself?'

'Damen, I love- I love you, but I don't think this can last.'

'I want it to.' 

Damen's hand was on the back of his neck again, fingers curled in Nikandros' short hair. Nikandros' hands were clawing at the grass.

'I know. But,' Nikandros looked at horizon. The palace was shining bright under the rising sun. 'How about this; if you still feel the same in a few years, you may ask me again and I will consider it. But I cannot with clear conscience agree to this when all my life I've pictured you on the throne with a dazzling intellectual beauty on your arm. Or two. Heaven knows you prefer multiple lovers.'

'I prefer you.' He said with a solid voice, and Nikandros let out a breath. 

'Do you see? You are composed. And I am falling apart.' Said Nikandros. 'Give it time.' He pleaded.

After a moment, Damen went still. Nikandros knew him to be turning this over in his head. Processing it in his own way. He left him to it, and retreated into himself as well.

They sat, side by side, with the air around them warming as the sun crept up into the sky. Nikandros laid back into the grass and closed his eyes. His nerves were still electric. He could hear the morning birds chattering in the nearby trees and bushes. 

'Alright.' Said Damen. 'But in the meantime, may I still hold you? Can I still take your hand and kiss you?'

Nikandros opened his eyes to the view of Damen gazing at him from above. The sky was a deep bright blue today. A slight breeze displaced Damen's long curls. His lips were slightly drawn in uncertainty. 

Nikandros' lips parted, and because Damen was right there, shining and beautiful as ever, he said, 'Alright.'

So they kissed. And kissed. And kissed. With Damen above him, enveloping him. Grabbing at every part of Nikandros’ body and pushing him into the grass underneath, and Nik's hands were in Damen's hair. The sun continued its ascent as they kissed with their lips, hands, and every exposed inch of skin.

-

When they returned to the palace, Nikandros still had grass clinging to him in unfavorable places. In the stables, he pulled Damen close to him so that he could pick the flowers out of Damen's curls. They had started to wilt. 

Damen took a small step closer and nuzzled him. 'We could just bathe.' 

And so they went to the baths hand in hand. They bathed. They came together with Nikandros falling undone in Damen's lap, with the water lapping against tiled edges as they moved. Damen didn't let him get dressed again once they exited. He pulled him down onto his bed and they wrestled on top of the sheets. This time Damen was below, making low sweet sounds.

'Damen, what would you like?' He asked, as much to distract himself as to know what he could do to make his friend feel good. 

'I want-' said Damen, pausing to breathe hard, 'You. Here.'

Damen dug his fingers into Nikandros' thighs and tugged him forward, up, up, all the way until Nikandros felt soft lips around the head of his cock. 

After that, other smaller pleasures were shared. A caress here. A lovebite there. Nikandros rested his forehead against the broad chest under him and allowed the indulgence to expand into every part of his mind. There was a calloused hand following the line of his jaw, cupping his cheek in mindless comfort. 

He said to Damen, 'You are relentless.'

'Do you have complaints?'

Drowsily, 'None at all.' 

'Then, can it be like this between us? Nothing serious, no rush, just us two in love?'

'When you put it like that..' 

'You can't say no?' 

'I don't want you to be restrained, by this or anything. You have this air of constancy, like you were a fixed part of the universe since before you were born. And you were brought down from the heavens to give the sun a reason to rise. You were made to be a great king, and I don't want to hold you back in any way.'

'You would not hold me back. And I don't like to be treated as someone untouchable.'

'I know. But.. I'm madly in love with you. Is that really alright just because you say it is?'

'Why not? Love is good. And your love is honey sweet.'

'Your love is large. I can't ignore it, and it's warm, and gentle,'

'You love that word.'

'Which one?'

'Warm.'

'That's because I love you.'

Damen drew him in, ever closer, and sighed those words in return into his skin, into his lips, and heart. Nikandros stilled him with hands on his face and looked at him. Into him. All that was between them was this. 

These linked fingers and smiling kisses, two bodies pressed into the same space. 

This warmth. 

-

Sometimes Nikandros would sit back and watch Damen. He did this a lot. But sometimes, Damen would look away, beyond the throngs of people, beyond the court. He looked so grand then. Regal, and impossibly real. This was something different than the personal love Nikandros held in his heart. This was the golden light of a great king. And even though Theomedes was still a mighty and respected ruler, Damen was something else entirely. Nikandros saw it, and he knew the people of Akielos saw it too. 

Curiously, he thought of the sculptor. The one who lovingly carved Damen into an image of awe-inspiring wonder. He thought of Kastor, and his jealousy and cowardice. 

A flash of yellow caught his eye and Nikandros looked at the lion pin on Damen's shoulder. Yes, the people loved Damen. But in the court of kings, there would always be blood. It wasn't a new concept to Nikandros. But as he watched Damen that night, mighty and glowing and always ever-so kind, he made a silent vow. To an audience of only himself and his cup of wine, he swore it. As long as Nikandros stood by him, nothing would ever harm his Prince. 

'What has caught your mind in such tangles this evening, friend?' Asked Damen. Nikandros hadn't noticed he was even being watched. He put down his wine. 

'Your good looks, of course.'

Damen smiled. 'I don't think that's it. But you'd tell me if it was something I needed to know.' He said, and Nikandros nodded. 'I wanted to ask what your plans were later tonight.'

'I'm not sure yet. Maybe I'll find a pretty lady to curl up with. Or man. Have you seen Lydos lately? He's got thighs the size of boulders. A handsome figure.'

'I didn't know that was your type.' 

'I like my partners to be massive. It's comfortable, to be made smaller in their arms. Not that you would know.' 

'Not that I would know. Are you going to approach him, Lydos?'

'No.' Nikandros closed his eyes against the world. 'He seems like he'd be a beast in the sheets. I want to go straight to sleep when I retire tonight.' 

'Alone?'

Damen's hand was on his back. Nikandros looked at him, eyelids heavy. He fought down a yawn. 'Perhaps not.'

Damen's smile was soft. 'A restful night sounds like heaven. Shall we?'

'Oh how good it is to be whisked away by a childhood friend. No one will even bat an eye.'

'There is nothing to gossip about. We are merely two friends retiring to enjoy each other's evening company.'

'Yes, let us share a soothing bath, surrounded by tiles that we have absolutely never fucked upon. Do you remember this morning when you-'

'Nikandros,' Damen gasped, mid laughter.

'It was good.' Said Nikandros. 

Damen grinned and ducked his head. Then he reached for Nikandros' hand. 

He said, 'I adore you.'

-

When Nikandros saw her for the first time, he knew. 

Her beauty was unmatched. Womanly and graceful, she spoke pleasantly, and charmed everyone who laid eyes on her. It was impossible to look anywhere but at her. In the afternoon sunlight, her hair was perfect and golden. Lady Jokaste was the center of attention the moment she stepped foot into the palace and Nikandros felt a swell of understanding about what was to come. 

He didn't have to look at Damen to know he was smitten. But he could not look away from the bright smile on Damen's face later that night when he sighed dreamily and said to Nikandros 'What do you think of her?'

'The golden beauty who looks as if risen from a painting?'

'How does beauty like that exist?' 

Nikandros raised both eyebrows at him. 'The same could be said about you.' 

'But it is different.' Damen said, with a dreamy tone still present in his voice. 

'Not in my eyes, it's not.' 

Damen looked at him, his own eyes soft and bright. With features strikingly handsome even in the low light of the room. Nikandros knew then, as he had known for a very long time, that Damen would be the only man his heart would beat for. The only person. It was not the same for Damen, and this too he had known. 

When Damen drew him forward for a firm kiss on his throat, he didn't pull away. This was how they were. 

'I'm going to court her.' He said against Nikandros' ever racing pulse.

'You talk of someone else while bedding me?' He replied, already sounding affected. 'How daring.'

Damen pulled back and frowned a little. 'You know this about me.'

'And I'm not opposed to it. Just be smart. You wouldn't want another incident happening like when Mira of Isthima almost tricked you into giving her a fortune of riches.' 

'Well, I have you here to prevent that from happening, don't I?'

He gave Damen a reassuring squeeze. 'You have my eternal protection.'

-

Jokaste was present at breakfast the next morning. Nikandros sat next to Damen, and the yellow beauty sat across from them. 

No one else of high rank sat near them, for they had risen fairly late. Nikandros tried not to stare at Jokaste and wonder if she had been waiting to dine with the Prince. 

The Prince who, with all the charm in the world, was asking about Jokaste's travels. Nikandros groaned internally when he inquired about how the weather had been. 

'The soothing ocean breezes here on the cliffs are a welcome surprise.' She shifted as one such breeze rolled in through the open doors and pushed the hair from her shoulder, exposing her neck. Nikandros ate faster, knowing Damen's thoughts and seeing them mirrored in Jokaste's infinitesimal actions. The Prince was, after all, quite good looking. And harbored a reputation for being a good lay. But then, if that was her only intention, that could be an issue. Damen was the kind of man who got attached. And Nikandros knew he wanted more than one night with this woman. 

_'I'm going to court her'_ , He had said. Nikandros swallowed a mouthful of food and slowed back down to a reasonable pace. He tuned back into the conversation just as he heard his name mentioned. 

'-The Kyros of Delpha, just like his father had been.' Damen was saying. 'An accomplished soldier, and an old friend of mine.'

'Commendable.' She gave him a pretty smile. 'What brings you down here to the capital?'

'Politics,' He said. 'And to escape another northern winter.'

'Winter is still a while off, is it not?'

'It starts early at the border.'

'I see. I've never been.'

'It's mostly farmland and soldier outposts. It has its own charm in the summer.' Said Damen.

'I've heard as much, through poems.' 

'Poetry?' Nikandros perked up. 'Can you recite any? Damianos here is quite a lover of the classics.' 

'Oh how delightful, I'd be honored to have the chance to recite for you some time. What are your favorites?'

'Do you know 'The rainblossom glimmers'?'

'The one about the great warrior Victuro? Let me guess, do you also like 'The blade of Adelosis?''

Damen was practically glowing. 'It is another favorite.'

Jokaste let out a gentle laugh that was easy on the ears. It added to her beauty. 'I suppose it doesn't surprise me that you would be drawn to works about historic war leaders. In fact, it's quite charming.' 

With that, Nikandros made his excuses and left them to each other. It was still much too early to be sure, but if there was the possibility that Jokaste could be a suitable match for Damen, he had no intention of interfering. 

-

Damen was in love. It was endearing to watch his attempts at wooing Jokaste. Having been the recipient of Damen's charm tactics, Nikandros took great enjoyment seeing it happen from a different perspective. 

He took less enjoyment at Damen's attempts to get him and Jokaste to be friends. Nikandros held no jealousy for Jokaste. She was a lovely woman. Beautiful and smart. Yet because of this cunning eye, she quickly picked up on the intimate bond between him and Damen. 

She did not react to it with total acceptance. Nikandros by no means expected her to.

Jokaste was.. territorial, in a way. But this was not uncommon in those who wished to win the heart of someone they loved. In this situation, it was Nikandros who was different from most, he supposed. For feeling no need to lay claim to the only man his heart would beat for. 

He did not even pretend to be surprised when Jokaste's honeyed words turned to sour venom when they were for any reason alone together. But her insults were so thickly veiled under pretty words that Nikandros couldn't quite take them seriously. And so he wasn't the least bit riled up by her remarks. He simply took the hint, and decided the best course of action was to avoid her. 

Jokaste did not go out of her way to flippantly comment on his inadequacies anymore after that. Nor did she exude any determination in honestly coming between him and Damen. Not even when Damen openly expressed his affections for Nikandros right in front of her. 

Nikandros had to admit he respected her for that. Despite remaining wary of her. Anyone with such sharp eyes and quick wit was not one to ever be completely trusted. 

-

At dinner one day, Kastor said; 'Damianos, I would have a few words with you.'

Damen looked up at him across the table. 

'Of course. What is it?'

'Walk with me.' Kastor said, and stood up. Damen tried not to follow him too hastily. In the corner of his eye he saw Nikandros frown. 

Outside the dining hall, they walked only far enough to find a quiet, secluded area. They stood in one of the outer hallways, of which one wall was almost entirely open to the night air. 

Kastor leaned against the pillar of an open archway. He said, 'You are too lenient with the Kyros of Delpha.'

Damen blinked.

'Has he done something?'

Kastor gave him a sidelong look. 'I just want you to be more cautious, is all.' 

'He is my friend from childhood. What is there to be cautious of?'

'Nikandros holds Delpha for no small reason. But he is still beneath you. I trust you will not forget this.' 

Damen nodded, but was still bewildered by Kastor's words. He thought it best not to press the issue. 'Is that what you wanted to talk about?'

'Yes. But I also wanted to ask about your new woman.'

'Jokaste.' Said Damen, feeling her name tug a smile from his lips. 

'I've seen you often in each other's company. Do you favor her deeply?'

'I do.' Said Damen. It occurred to him that this was the kind of conversation brothers usually had. The kind of conversation he and Nikandros had always had, since they were boys. This was the first time Kastor had asked him about a lover. His smile grew. 

'Does she return your affections?'

'I think so, yes.' Unprompted, Damen added, 'She's wonderful.'

'Exquisite, if I may say. It's good to see you so happy, brother.' Said Kastor. 

Damen felt his throat constrict. He had never known what it felt to have a lover approved of by family. He felt lightheaded with the implications. 

Kastor pushed himself away from the pillar. 'Good talk.' He clapped Damen's shoulders, and headed back to the dining hall without looking back. Damen watched his back until he was gone, and then took a few minutes to regain composure. To allow his blood to calm down. 

He knew he was unsuccesful in wiping away his giddiness by the time he made it back. But that was fine. Kastor approved of Jokaste, and had in as few words given Damen his blessing. 

-

It was approaching Autumn now. And Nikandros was tasked with leading the trainee soldiers on a faux-campaign ride to Delpha. He had made this same trek before, with most of the soldiers that now served under his banner. It was a routine at this point, nothing to stress about; at least not for himself. He knew some of the younger recruits dreaded it, for it was a long journey, without the motivation of an actual impending war to aid them with adrenaline and purpose. 

But such preparations were necessary for efficiency.

'Will you write to me?' Damen asked. The world was glowing under the morning sun. Rows of soldiers in armor gleamed and moved erratically. Last minute travel preparations were underway. Nikandros and Damen stood at the rear, overlooking the sea of shining metal and horses. Nikandros squinted. 

Then it hit him what Damen was asking for and he chuckled. The thought of himself settling down by candlelight to write a heartfelt letter to his secret lover was so far removed from his current thoughts of the road ahead. While other soldiers might write to a wife or a family, Nikandros would be writing to the Prince. But he smiled and found himself saying 'Maybe I will. Certainly I'll be thinking of you.' 

'Scent it with lavender so I know it's yours, will you?'

'And sealed with a kiss. The trip won't be that long you know.'

Damen flashed him a wild smile with lots of teeth. 'Any amount of time without your is an et-'

Nikandros groaned. 'Oh you're so sweet.' He placed his hand on the horse saddle. 'Stay out of trouble.' He said, but before he could mount up, Damen took him by the shoulders and pulled him close for a discreetly intimate kiss. Nikandros rocked forward with the motion of it. Briefly his fingers pressed into Damen's waist. One part of Nikandros' brain registered the feeling of cool shade his horse cast against his back. 

A moment later Nikandros was swinging up onto the saddle and throwing his short cape over one shoulder. Damen's hand was on his calf, fingers curling around one of the leather straps on his sandal.

'Safe travels, friend.'

Nikandros gripped the reins in his hands and felt the rough material dig into his skin. He struggled to meet Damen's eyes but when he did, the moment stretched on. He told himself he didn't have time for this. The words trapped in his heart made an attempt to escape but Nikandros grit his teeth and nodded at Damen. Then he eased his horse into a light sprint to begin giving orders.

-

Over a week later, they are in a small town between Sicyon and Mellos. It was a supply stop. But many of the men would take the opportunity to mingle with the locals and visit brothels while Nikandros pretended not to notice.

He also pretended not to notice the apparent crush one of the new recruits had for him. 

His name was Pallas, and objectively speaking, he was attractive. But Nikandros was determined to pay no extra attention to him than the rest of the soldiers. This was sometimes easier said than done, as Pallas was determined to make himself noticed. 

He had done absolutely nothing to encourage Pallas' affections. This is what he repeated to himself even as he allowed himself to be lead to a brothel by Pallas himself, after all his duties for the day had been taken care of. He continued to tell this to himself even as Pallas sat down on the bed and smiled up at him. 

Nikandros knew it was a lie. 

Here he was; Standing in a small room in a dingy brothel, next to a bed that held Pallas and one of the house girls. He was completely sober. 

Pallas pulled aside his clothes while looking right up at Nikandros. He swallowed with difficulty. 

Nikandros knew there were soldiers like this. Some who slept with commanding officers for special treatment and promotions, and others who did it because it was statistically easier to find a bedmate with the same preference among such a large group of men. 

Nikandros never felt the urge to seduce a fellow soldier during a campaign, when he could easily go to a brothel with his rank. But he understood the intentions of those like Pallas. Especially if one was exclusive to men, and would find no joy in bedding a woman, whether she did it for the pay or not. Nikandros thought he too, prefered men. But at times he could take whatever was given. 

Right now, Pallas was very willing to give. 

And though Nikandros was tempted, he knew he couldn't do it and truly be happy with himself afterward. And if he was honest with himself, he did not want to bed Pallas. Or anyone else. There was only one man that he wanted.

A man who was miles to the south in a grand and beautiful palace, probably enjoying the warm embrace and company of a certain woman tonight. 

He sighed. And said, 'Pallas, do not take this personally. But I cannot...' 

Pallas immediately went red. 'Oh. I thought... I'm sorry. I-'

'No,' Nikandros put his hand on Pallas's shoulder. It was firm and large against his palm. 'You're not mistaken. And I apologize for not turning you down sooner. I thought I could.. with you.. but tonight my heart is in a different place.'

'...I see. Does that mean I still have another chance? In the future?' 

He granted Pallas with a thorough once-over. He was very, very attractive. 

'Perhaps.' Said Nikandros. It was the truth, after all. 

At that, Pallas stood up and smiled. Then he kissed Nikandros on the cheek with a playful smack. Nikandros wondered what those lips would feel like between his own teeth. Then Pallas was gone and that train of thought evaporated. 

His attention fell on the woman still seated on the cushion. She watched him with great amusement. Nikandros considered walking out, but he had already paid for the service and he didn't fancy running into Pallas again so soon. 

So when the woman reached for his clothes, tugged and pulled at them until they were gone, he allowed himself to be coaxed down onto the sheets and comforted. But it was without interest or passion. He had thought that even if his heart was being held in such a faraway place, at least his body was here and he could give his body to such simple physical pleasures. One that did not stand any chance of reminding him of Damen. A quick night of relief and brief oblivion. Or at the very least, give his body to the sensations while his mind receded. 

But apparently his body, too, was not in the right place. He was completely flaccid and this was quickly becoming embarrassing. The woman stilled her movements with Nikandros still inside of her. 

'I assume this has something to do with the boy you came here with?' She asked.

'Not him, but someone, yes.'

'A lover?'

'Something like that.'

She rose up off him and Nikandros barely felt it when he slid out. 

'Well then, do you want to keep trying? I can bring some wine if that's what you need.' 

'No, that won't be necessary. I think I'll just- go.'

Neither of them were in a particular hurry to get dressed, but Nikandros still finished first. Suddenly feeling like quite the inconvenience, he said 'I am sorry about this.'

But the woman only laughed at that. 

'For what? Being in love? It's not a curse, you know. And you'd do better to appreciate it while you have it.' 

Nikandros remembered nothing of the trek back to camp. 

-

There were letters that had to be written. Reports, supply orders, and other meager correspondences. Such was the life of a Kyros. 

Sometimes, after finishing his writings for the day, he would consider writing a letter to Damen. He had asked for one, after all. But each time the thought came to him, he would set down his quill and promptly go to bed. 

Tonight, however, was an early night. They were to head north tomorrow for a training excursion, which meant an early rising. The evening prep was finished and most of the soldiers had either retired to bed early or gathered around campfires and inside tents to chat half the night away. Or partake in more intimate matters. 

Nikandros thought of Pallas. 

Without allowing himself to think too much about it, he left his tent in search of.. something. Sure enough, it wasn't difficult to find company. Low voices and laughter permeated the camp and Nikandros was very quickly guided to sit at the largest campfire. One of the soldiers was telling a story that had half the men rolling in laughter. 

Because of the fairly late hour, the seats weren't too crowded. He easily spotted Pallas at the center of the chaos, listening intently to the tale. To Nikandros' surprise, Pallas smiled openly when he noticed he was being watched. Then he sauntered over and made himself comfortable at Nikandros' side. 

'Hello, Commander.' He said, sounding amused. Nikandros slung an arm around him. This did not go unnoticed by the rest of camp. 

'Aiming high, are you Pallas?' One of them, Nikandros thought his name was Ediel, joked. 'You're a brave one, I'll give you that.' 

'I don't know what you're talking about.' Said Nikandros, in a tone that meant he knew exactly what Ediel was talking about. He didn't remove his arm from its position around Pallas' shoulders. 

An hour went by before Nikandros felt sleepiness settle in his chest. Pallas turned to him when he yawned. There weren't many men left awake by the fire. 

'Are you going to bed?' Asked Pallas. 'Do you.. want company?'

His eyes were bright and honest. Pallas put a hand on Nikandros' abdomen and bit his lip. Nikandros leaned forward and placed a quick kiss to Pallas' cheek. 

'No. I have an important letter to write.'

'I could keep your bed warm.' Pallas offered. 

Nikandros smiled, despite himself. 'You're sweet.' He looked down at Pallas' hands. 'But.. Pallas, when I said you might have a chance, I didn't mean any time soon. Or... within this life, for that matter.'

Pallas searched his face. 'There is a man who holds your heart?' He asked.

'... He holds everything. My heart, my spirit, and my loyalty.'

'He must be an incredible man, to be deserving of such.' 

'Of that there is no doubt.' Nikandros said. 'I am sorry, that we couldn't work out.'

Pallas shook his head. 'I am still young. I may yet find my own man someday, worthy of such passionate devotion.' Then he grinned that wildly bright smile of his. 'Although... if something were ever to happen between you and your man, know that I would still gladly offer warmth in your bed.'

Nikandros chuckled and slapped his back. 'I've allowed you to be distracted for too long. Go sleep now, and by morning return your attention wholeheartedly to training.' 

'Yes, commander.' 

-

A few days later, a sudden rain graced the recruits with the experience of packing up camp in the mud. By midday they would be dry and caked with dirt, but for now everything was wet and sloshy and Nikandros had to remind them to pick up the pace. 

'Nature is not always your friend in war.' He said. 'Sometimes it is an enemy, and you must treat it as such.'

They yelled an affirmative in response, and picked up the pace. Nikandros walked through the ranks, hurrying along those who were still dragging their feet, and made his way to his own horse. 

As he studied his men and their horses, there wasn't much that would catch his eye in the gloomy air. Everyone and everything was caked in brown mud. Not even their weaponry gleamed under the dull overcast sky. 

So when Nikandros' eyes passed a mere patch of weeds, he paused at the sight. A splash of purple in otherwise red and brown surroundings.

He crouched down and brushed his fingertips softly against the plant.

'What use does our good commander have of lavender?' Nikandros heard Ediel say from somewhere above him. 

'It aids with sleep.' Nikandros responded, and drew his knife. He cut off a single stem and tucked it in his belt. 

When he at last made it to his horse, he unwrapped his bundle of possessions and secured the lavender within a thin book he carried with him. A collection of war poems. It was Damen's favorite. Nikandros would not deny being sentimental. 

Unless it was in front of a large group of young boys he was supposed to train into war-ready men. It wasn't the place for it. 

-

It was only after reaching Marlas that Nikandros again sat at his desk with a quill in hand. He pressed the tip of it into the page and before a useless blob of ink could take form, Nikandros took a steadying breath and began to write. 

_Damen,_

_I think you are my one and only._

_And I don't say this lightly. I think about you often. I've tried to sleep with other people, to see if I could. But it wasn't meant to be. It didn't feel right or good. I kept thinking of you. And truthfully, it frustrated me. But I think as a result of those experiences I finally am able to know the full extent of my feelings for you. They are a fundamental piece of me. But I had to dig deep to understand their form. The way I see it, is that something grew inside of me one day. A second heart, whose sole purpose is to love you. And if I tried to remove it I would die._

_Sometimes I'm afraid of how permanent this feels. It's much easier for me to say I'm faithful to you, and that I want to protect and serve you, than it is to say I love you. Maybe faithfulness and protection are smaller parts of love. And love itself is this unimaginably large and infinite thing, and that's what scares me. Like when you look at the sky for too long, and your thoughts wander and the vastness of it suddenly feels overwhelming._

_I'm overwhelmed._

_But I love you. And I miss you. And I am eternally yours._

Nikandros signed his name and sat back to stare at the letter. It didn't look like much, but Nikandros wasn't built to write novels. He waited for it to dry before placing the lavender stem onto the page sideways, and carefully folded the letter around it. He pressed a lingering kiss to the outside fold and stood up to walk five paces to the fireplace.

The flames leapt and crackled beneath his outstretched hand. The letter trembled in his tight grip. He felt the heat on his knuckles and thought of the time when Damen had held his hands and kissed him there, so softly. Almost with reverence. 

His heart pounded. 

He felt it in every part of his body. Shutting his eyes tightly, Nikandros whirled around and strode to the other side of the room. He flopped gracelessly onto his bed and wiped the sweat from his brow. 

In the morning, Nikandros sealed the letter and carefully secured it at the bottom of his traveling trunk. 

\- 

Nikandros returned to Ios late-autumn. It was still warm, but the wind had an added chill to it. He didn't get a chance to begin unpacking before Damen appeared in his doorway. 

'You didn't write.'

'It was a short trip.' Said Nikandros. 'The recruits did well, by the way.'

There was still a line between Damen's eyebrows. It did not go away even as Damen drew near and placed his arms around Nikandros. Taking a deep breath through his nose, Nikandros reveled in the scent of Damen. Of having him this close again. 

Then Nikandros' stomach rumbled. Damen let him unpack while he ordered a meal to be brought to their room. 

They bathed, they ate, and Nikandros told Damen in great detail about the excursion. Damen listened, but mostly kept to himself.

This was Damen sulking. 

'It's bothering you.' Said Nikandros.

'What's that?'

'Why does it matter that I didn't write to you?' Nikandros tried to keep his tone soft. He didn't think he quite managed it, and frowned at himself. 'Why is it a problem?'

'I... was unsure. About where we stood. In fact I'm still not sure.'

'What do you mean?' 

'Are we lovers, Nikandros? Or is there yet still something keeping us from getting to that point?'

'What are we if not lovers, if we are two people in love?'

But Damen only looked at him. Nikandros felt his stomach churn. He rose to his feet slowly. 

He wanted to just stand there and look back. To freeze time, even. But he recognized the uncertainty in Damen's eyes and he didn't like seeing it there. There was one thing Nikandros knew he could do to ease his worries, and as much as he feared it, he knew it to be the right thing to do. And Nikandros did not want to withhold honesty for the sake of his own pride. 

But no, there was nothing shameful about honesty. About letting a man know your heart for what it truly was. For showing him the softest parts of yourself. The real honor was in laying yourself open. That was exactly what Damen had done countless times and it was why Nikandros respected him, and loved him. 

He unlocked his traveling trunk and retrieved the unsent letter. 

'I did write to you, but I was afraid to send it.'

'Why?' 

He reworded his intent in his mind a dozen different ways before finally saying simply; 'This is my heart.'

And then he held it out for Damen to take. 

Damen took it in both his hands and looked as if he held something immensely precious. 

'Can I read it?' 

'Yes. It's for you.'

Damen opened it and grinned at the lavender plant. But when he began to read, Nikandros had to leave the room. He walked out onto the balcony and sat on a bench to wait. It shouldn't have taken long, the letter was very short. Damen still took his time, and when he finally joined him on the bench, he wore a bright smile. At the sight of him, Nikandros felt his own shoulders fall back and his fists unclench. 

He breathed deeply in through his nose and reached for Damen's hand. 

'I'm sorry for not sending it.'

'I'm glad you showed it to me now.'

Nikandros hummed at that. 'While I was away, when I tried to experiment with others, it made me wonder something. How does it work for you, to have your love split across multiple partners?' 

'It isn't split. It's more like.. I have two pitchers of water instead of one. And if another potential interest comes along, I can fill another pitcher and have three.'

'That's a weird way of putting it.'

Damen shrugged. 'Would it make it any easier to understand if you knew that it's just as difficult for me to understand solely loving one person?'

'Do you think you ever could?'

'Perhaps. But it's hard to imagine.' 

Nikandros couldn't argue with that. 

-

By that point, Jokaste had moved in as a resident of Ios. Nikandros supposed he was much the same, but he had fewer possessions than a woman like Jokaste. It would only take a few minutes to pack everything he owned. An advantage born from frequent traveling. So it felt different. 

He saw a lot of Jokaste in those days. It was strange at first, to speak to her after fucking Damen an hour prior. 

But as with most things in life, anything can become normal with through sheer frequency.

That winter passed by quietly. 

When Spring at last broke through the biting wind, it brought with it sheets of dew in the hours of dawn, and a chill that had nothing to do with the position of the sun. 

'Nikandros,' Jokaste said, catching him unawares on his trek back from the training grounds. She smiled at the way he slowed down, eyeing her warily. 'What rises you so early in the morning?' 

_'I should ask the same of you,'_ Nikandros wanted to say. He walked this corridor every day at this hour and had never once run into Jokaste. 

'Exercise.' He said instead, opting for the truth. 'Doing so first thing upon waking allows me to tackle the day with a clear head.' He explained. 

'Well said. It seems to me an admirable regimen. Do you practice by yourself out there?'

'Usually, yes. The quiet helps.'

Jokaste patted his arm. 'The results can attest to that. However, it seems lonely. Does Damen ever join you?'

'That man has always prefered the jolly company of fellow soldiers.' He said. Then quickly added, 'In the context of sport, of course. In other matters it is not so.'

'I see.' Jokaste smiled, and lowered her lashes. Nikandros resisted the urge to clear his throat.

'Yes, so, Damen will usually get his exercise with the rest of the guard later in the day. It boosts their morale as well.' 

Jokaste's eyes lit up for a second. 'Would I be able to come watch?'

Nikandros blinked at her. 'You... have an interest in wrestling?'

'I have an interest in seeing the activities Damen enjoys. Though I admit personal enjoyment would also be fulfilled.'

'In that case I don't see why it would be a problem.' He said. 'They meet at midday most days.'

Again, Jokaste smiled. It made her cheeks look rounder, softer. 

'I can't wait.' She said. 

-

Nikandros had a problem, and her name was Jokaste. 

Let it never go unsaid that Nikandros was a wary man with a keen eye, a trait sprung from necessity as the right-hand man of the crown prince of their beloved country. 

Akielons, at their core, were people who valued honesty. A honorable thing ingrained in thousands of years of culture. But they were still merely people, and the existence of cheats and liars could not be avoided. This was the way of the world. 

Damen's value in honesty was greater than most's. It was a virtuous characteristic, despite at times being frustrating. And so it fell to the hands of Nikandros to sniff out the liars and bring them to light to be judged by the crown.

It was no easy task to confront Damen and reveal to him that someone he believed to be loyal and true was in fact treacherous vermin. 

But it was necessary. For Damen's safety. 

'My dearest friend I do not think there is a kind way to say this but I've paced a hundred times in my room and nearly burned several holes through my rug while doing so. I've decided I need to say this even if you despise me for it.' Said Nikandros. He felt himself sweating with nervous energy.

'I could never despise you.' Said Damen, looking up from his desk with such an honest expression that Nikandros couldn't help reconsidering if this was worth it. He looked out the balcony. His palm on the railing would not relax from its deathgrip. 

Hundreds of feet below the ocean crashed and tumbled.

'Just wait until you hear what I have to say.' Nikandros forced himself to turn away from the balcony and look at Damen. He had risen from his desk and now stood within arm's reach, unguarded, his brows pulled together in concern. A short silence stretched out before Nikandros pushed the words out. 

'I think Jokaste is plotting something. And I don't know what it is, or if it's even against you or not. And I know you love her but I think you should be more careful. That is all.'

Damen took his time to form a response. Nikandros watched the muscles in his jaw tense and relax.

'Plotting?' He finally said. 

'You want me to repeat it? Set aside your affections for a second and listen carefully. The woman you love may not be everything she claims.'

'I think you are wrong.'

'They say love is blind.'

'Are you trying to make me upset? Have I done something to make you upset, is that what this is?'

'Far from it.' A hard sigh. 'Look, I'm not asking you to cast her out entirely onto the streets at knife point, only to be cautious, so that if something occurs you won't be blindsided. Is that so unreasonable?'

'No. You are never unreasonable but this- this is-' Damen backed away and sat down heavily on the nearest surface. The solid desk didn't even groan under his weight. 'What has made you say this? What evidence? What could she possibly plotting, and with what intent?'

'I have nothing concrete, which makes this all the more awful. Just whispers, and the known nature of a Viper.'

'You call my lover a snake?' 

'She could be venomous, is my point.'

'She is deceptive?'

'Don't put words in my mouth.'

'But that's what you believe.' 

'I believe there's a chance, a gut feeling.'

'You must've eaten something bad, then. Why don't you go and rest?' His tone was clipped. 'I don't want to hear any more of this.' 

Nikandros jerked his head away, but did not leave. The hot summer wind was a welcome distraction. But the white stone reflecting the sun directly into his eyes was absolutely not. He leaned his arms against the balcony railing and hung his head. 

When he at last cooled off enough to return inside, Damen was gone. 

This didn't feel like the end of it. 

-

Sure enough, a few days later they sat side by side. Facing forward and unspeaking. Nikandros wasn't going to play this game. 

He said: 'Am I supposed to pretend I never spoke of what I did?'

Damen said nothing, but he turned his face away. Nikandros stared at the back of his ear, the curve of his neck.

'I can't do that, Damen. I'm persisting because I care for your safety. I wouldn't have brought it up if I didn't think it was serious. I get no enjoyment out of seeing you like this.'

More silence.

'Please speak to me.'

'What do you want me to say?'

'Your thoughts would be a good start.'

But Damen didn't say anything. Nikandros watched him for a while. When it became stifling, he looked down at himself and picked at a small smudge on his chiton. Then he looked at their surroundings and saw nothing. He retreated into himself and waited. He almost didn't notice when Damen leaned forward and put his head into his hands. 

Nikandros didn't know what to say. He waited. And finally Damen looked at him with a terrible expression. He said;

'Nik, my father is sick.'

Sometimes language was a humorous thing. A mere connection of three words would change so much, but there wasn't a word for the gravity or the number of things Nikandros felt at hearing them. He sat, and heard them, and they settled in him slowly and thoroughly like a poison. 

I feel sick, he thought. 

The King is sick, his mind replied. 

'What is it? Is there-' A cure? The word felt like an omen in his mouth. He shut his teeth on it and swallowed. He stood up. And almost immediately reeled back around. 'What do you need?' He asked.

'Me? Nik, my father-'

'I know. But I'm no physician,' He saw rather than felt his fingers close around Damen's. He wasn't sure who was holding on tighter. 'So what can I do for you?'

'Nik,' Damen's voice broke and with it Nikandros' heart as well. 

He leaned forward and pressed his head against Nikandros' belly. Nikandros wanted to run his hands through his hair but he didn't want to let go of Damen's hands to do so. 

It felt like everything had changed that day. Later, he would know that it had begun much earlier with the arrival of a certain golden angel, to claim the lives of Kings into her heavenly hands. But now things were shifting and the air was heavy with loss. No one dared say it, but Theomedes' sickness had them all thinking of death. Be it through remembrance of lost loved ones, the history of a nation, or the more simpler inevitability of humanity. 

-

'I don't believe this to be true, but I must ask to know the nature of the air between us at this point. Tell me your suspicions of Jokaste are not stemmed from jealousy.'

'They're not.' Said Nikandros. 'If Jokaste was anyone else, I would not have this problem.'

'What do you mean?'

'I have always wished to see a woman at your side, Damen. So that when the day comes, you will have a queen. But I don't think Lady Jokaste has been transparent, and that is the only reason for my unpleasant feelings. I don't dislike your other lovers.'

'I don't have that many lovers.' Damen said. 

'There is Lykaios too, and she is lovely.'

'Lykaios is a slave.'

'But you are fond of her all the same.' 

'Nik, you are my closest friend and I value your opinions even when they are not my own. Especially when they are not my own. But this is..'

Damen fell quiet. Nikandros stroked his arm in the silence. 

Then in a low voice, Damen said: 'I've thought of marrying her.'

'Then it is even more important that you do not ignore these possibilities. She is a smart and powerful woman. Damen, I know this is what makes her endearing to you but it can also make her very dangerous. You know she is capable-'

Damen held up his hand. The sight of it gave Nikandros pause, only because it was such an unfamiliar gesture between them.

'I am asking you to take this no further. I know you mean no insult. I know my wellbeing is your truest intention.' Damen said. 'But I don't see it. I don't see Jokaste as a potential enemy. Yes, she is capable of hurting me, but isn't that the risk to be taken in any exchange of love? To open yourself entirely. To make yourself vulnerable. In that case, she has had every opportunity to bring me great harm for I have given her everything. 

'I've shown her the softest parts of myself. The same ones I've shown you. That is the risk I am always willing to take when I love someone.'

'I know,' Nikandros said. 'That is your nature. My nature is to question everything. I cannot trust character as easily as you. It's honestly infuriating how easily you can see the good in others and lay your heart out for them. But that's why I'm here. To help you if ever things go south. To offer counsel. To be your friend, and speak up when I think you are doing something foolish. 

'But it is always your choice to listen to, or disregard what I think is best. You know that I will stand by you no matter what you choose.'

'I know.' Damen continued to run his hand along Nikandros' back. Then he turned his head and kissed Nikandros' brow. He kissed his curls, his cheek, lips, everything he could reach without moving too much. Nikandros sank into him and pulled him closer. He kissed back. He could not take his hands away from Damen. 

He knew he was crushing Damen, laying on top of him like that. But Damen wouldn't let him go. So in turn Nikandros held on. Felt each rise and fall of Damen's breathing. Felt his heart beat under the skin beneath his palm. 

-

When Nikandros stirred awake he thought he was a teenager again. Opening his eyes to the view of Damen's bed, with the smell of sex and wine in the air. He turned his face to the breeze and scratched at his exposed belly. As he rubbed his face to check his stubble the world came back to him in increments. 

He was alone but the sheets were warm. The breeze was hot enough to be midday and he as sluggish enough to imply very little sleep was had. The bed did not creak as he shuffled out of it, naked. With a dismissive glance at what vaguely looked like his clothes he walked into the main chamber. 

There was Damen. And Jokaste. She raised a brow once she spotted him. Nikandros leaned against the open archway and did the same. This drew a languid smile out of Jokaste, which caught Damen's attention. 

'My dearest friend, good morning. Will you eat?' 

'You always know the right words to get to my heart.' Nikandros said, and joined them on their low droopy sofa. He leaned over to the end table and began wolfing down the first thing he could reach without much awareness or care to what he was eating. 

'He's quite good at that, isn't he?' Said Jokaste. 

'Flirtation? It's one of his talents, besides swinging a sword and doubling in mass with unnatural ease.' Said Nikandros.

'I'm right here.'

'We know, I can hardly see your friend around your large shoulders.' Jokaste leaned forward to peer at Nikandros, who waved at her.

'You're a mountain.' Nikandros agreed. 

Damen huffed at him. Nikandros shuffled closer and kissed him on the mouth. 'Ah,' He said. 'You've shaved.'

'And you haven't.' Damen gave him another kiss, one that lingered and pulled all immediate thoughts from his mind. He had to focus on pulling air into his lungs once Damen turned back to Jokaste. He asked her if she would join them in the baths. 

'My dear, are you aware of how hard it is to say no to you? But I've made prior arrangements that I must prepare for.'

'Arrangements?'

'Lunch in town, with the girls.' 

Nikandros knew she meant her entourage of attendants. He wondered about the nature of their friendship, seeing as how Jokaste herself was rarely in their company. But Nikandros didn't comment. She was, after all, off to spend the day with them.

This also meant he had more precious alone time with Damen. 

She excused herself with a kiss on Damen's cheek and a sweet smile in Nikandros' direction that made him tense reflexively. 

In the baths, they take their sweet time. Nikandros rubs honey scented oils into Damen's hair and tugs at the curls between his fingers. He foregoes the body oils, knowing Damen isn't keen on smelling like a rosebush, and simply scrubs the rest of him off. 

Damen returns the favor. He coaxes Nikandros to sit in his lap while he washes and rinses his hair. Then he reaches for the shaving butter and offers to shave him. 

Nikandros wasn't keen on growing a beard, so he accepts and sits back on Damen's thighs as he gets to work. It was soothing, to clean and groom his lover and have him do the same. 

Once Damen was finished, he submerged a small towel in the bath water, wrung it out, and patted it along his face from one side to the other, collecting excess oil and stray hairs. Then he brushed his fingers along his cheeks to feel for anything he might have missed. 

When Damen exchanged his fingertips for lips, Nikandros couldn't keep the smile off his own mouth.

Then Damen's lips made their natural progression to his neck and Nikandros gripped Damen's chest with a sigh, feeling like the most relaxed man on Earth. 

However, the steamy bath soon became too hot, with all the places Damen's hands kept going.

Nikandros said, 'I don't think I could go again so soon, seeing as how we were up all night. But if you'd like, I can-'

'No, it's alright. I just want to kiss you for a while. You're very attractive, Nik.' 

'Oh.'

And then they were kissing and it took a tremendous amount of willpower to pull away. 

'Damen I love this but if we don't get out of this bath right now I will die.'

Damen laughed, but retracted his grip to allow Nikandros to escape. 

Nikandros slid out of Damen's lap and pulled himself out of the bath. He grabbed the pitcher with cool water and returned to sit behind Damen on the tiles. Swiping his hair to one side to keep it out of the way, Nikandros poured the pitcher over the back of Damen's neck and shoulders. 

'That's good.' Damen quietly murmured. 

Once it was half empty he handed the pitcher to Damen. 'For your face, if you want it.' 

For himself, Nikandros dragged a clean washcloth across his forehead, nose, and behind the ears to get the rest of his sweat. When Damen finished his pitcher he set it aside and turned around to look at Nikandros. He was met with a view of Nikandros' open legs. 

'Well, isn't this an interesting position.' 

'I am getting out of this bath.' Nikandros repeated, although he was smiling as he stood up. As he toweled himself off, he heard Damen noisily exit the water and come up behind him to plant a kiss on his shoulder and casually make a grab at his bottom. 

Nikandros finished drying off quickly, and walked back to the bed chamber with Damen hot on his heels. Once there, he poured them both a cup of drinking water. 

As soon as Damen finished his and set down the mug, Nikandros was all over him. Hands on skin, lips still wet from the water, skin slick with sweat. Fingers gripping places that were so familiar by now, and yet still felt exciting. To be granted the chance to feel this, to hold Damen and kiss him like he was the sun. To be kissed by Damen with such sweetness. With such fire. 

He felt like clay in Damen's hands. Warmed by his palms, precious and malleable. 

Nikandros went to his knees and gripped hairy thighs, kissed Damen's hips, kissed his belly and the delightful trail of hair below it. 

Took that incredible heat in his fingers and lead it into his mouth. 

Once Damen regained his breath, he asked to do the same. Nikandros declined. 

'I'm not so young anymore. I could use a meal. And some fresh air.'

-

Rain isn't common in Ios. Even less so in summer. 

But here Nikandros was, stuck under an archway, on his way from the training grounds back to his rooms. He knew the rain wouldn't last long, and it felt nice to stand in the middle of it, in safety, watching the sky come down around him. 

It was a welcome interruption to his day.

In the distance, he spotted a familiar blonde head. Jokaste was sitting under a pergola with several of the palace slaves. One of them was cutting a plate of peaches, another was fixing the folds of Jokaste's attire. The others simply sat at her feet. 

They were all discussing something. It settled badly in Nikandros' stomach, they way they spoke intimately, even under the roar of the rain splattering against foliage and stone. 

He watched them discreetly until the rain slowed down to a mist. He felt frustrated with himself for his groundless suspicions. His only evidence was this churning paranoia and instinct that instructed him firmly to do whatever it took to protect Damen. 

But Damen loved Jokaste. Much in the same way he and Damen loved each other. And all this doubt and speculation of Jokaste's character was useless when he had nothing to work with, nothing to act upon. 

So Nikandros forced it down, and resolved to never act on it. He did not look back over his shoulder as he continued on the path towards the palace. He ignored all the instinct screaming through his body to not forget this, that there was certainly something wrong here, that an exceptionally clever and beautiful woman like Jokaste could do so much to ruin a single man, if she so felt inclined. 

His sandals splashed against puddles on the walkway as he left it all behind. 

-

On the day of the attack, Nikandros recalled his night at the brothel. _Love wasn't a curse_ , she had said. _'And you'd do better to appreciate it while you have it.'_

He had been in the training rooms. As he usually was during that time of day. The screams were his only indication that something was wrong, and by then it was too late. 

When he was told the news, as it echoed through the halls, throughout all of Ios, that King Theomedes and Prince Damianos were dead — Nikandros didn't hear it. The brothel woman's words were the only sound in his head. 

He had demanded to see the body. 

But everything was in chaos, and Nikandros was instead taken away for investigation. For being Damen's closest. Not only his closest friend, but his closest everything. He once again asked to see the body. But he was shackled, interrogated, and then there was cleanup to do. 

Blood and bodies in the halls. Injured slaves, broken furniture. Damen's entire household had been slain. Amidst the disarray, Nikandros made his way to Damen's chambers. He had to step over the bodies of Ariston and Kallias to reach the door. Once inside, he sat on Damen's bed for a long time. There was blood on the floor and Nikandros wondered how much of it was Damen's. He heard the nearby clatter of voices and dozens of footsteps, which most likely stemmed from the staff's desperate attempt to wash away the carnage and horror. Nikandros simply sat there while everything was put back into place around him. He was not capable of willing his body to move. A hurricane with himself standing in the center. 

Except, he wasn't in the center. This wasn't about him. And Ios would need as many hands as it could to keep it together. Nikandros was capable. He was a Kyros. He had duties to perform.

Even when everything was in shambles, and a million questions prattled in his mind. Questions he would no doubt ask, but had no disillusions about receiving straight answers. Not after being denied even a glimpse of Damen. 

And that thought filled him with fear. That in this new Ios, to be lead by Kastor, Nikandros would be denied his devotion to Damen. Or at least the memory of him. And this was a terrible thing. 

Bleary eyed, he looked around the room. With the number of days and nights Nikandros had spent here, it was very familiar. He knew where most things were. Even a few things of his own took up a new home in these chambers, including but not limited to some of his clothes.

Rising to his feet, Nikandros walked to the low dresser against the wall by the balcony. On top of it was a small box. Damen wasn't fond of accessories, so the inside held only three items. His mother's favorite necklace, a ring given to him by Jokaste which looked more like something Kastor would enjoy, and his golden lion pin. 

The original purpose of the box had been to hold the necklace, but it didn't make sense to have another one made for his incredibly small collection. The only item out of these that Damen actually wore was the pin.

Nikandros picked it up. 

Running his thumb over the surface of it, he considered taking it. He knew it was a crime. But Nikandros would not, at the very least, allow his memory of Damen to removed from the world. To be torn from his hands. 

And then he was being summoned to the King's private rooms to speak to Kastor. He closed his fist around the pin and tucked it safely within his clothes. 

Theomedes was still in his bed. Lifeless and with skin the flat color of paper, he was surrounded by color. It seemed they had already dressed him up for a memorial service.

Kastor greeted him with the same palpable distaste as always. Nikandros asked about Jokaste. Was she alright? Had she been harmed in the attack? 

Kastor said 'She's in her rooms. It's best if she doesn't see the bodies.'

With some effort, Nikandros tore his eyes away from his dead king to look at Kastor. Belatedly he realized Kastor was his new King. The bells were already ringing in the distance. They had been, for some time. Nikandros felt sourness in his mouth and a pressure within his throat that made it difficult to swallow. His eyes stung with unshed tears while Kastor looked the same as always. Angry, annoyed, and entirely unaffected by the loss of his family. 

Nikandros cast his eyes back to Theomedes. The cold honesty and finality of death was much easier to look at. 

'For what reason did you summon me?' Nikandros asked.

'You wanted to see the body, did you not?' 

'I wanted to see Damen.' He said, with a voice that sounded so hollow, he felt sick to know it was his own. Everything sounded and felt too distant for his ears and eyes. He heard the bells, and Theomedes was _right there_ , but his mind didn't want to accept it. He knew it to be denial, and perhaps it was better this way. 

He would be utterly useless if rage and grief were to consume him. 

Kastor said, 'Even I haven't seen it. I've been told it's gruesome. Really, it's quite tragic.'

Nikandros wanted to call him a weak willed cockroach. That the real tragedy was how this careless attitude and blatant disregard of Damen's murder was, in turn, going to be the reason Nikandros would wring his neck one day. 

Nikandros wanted to say that he wasn't a fool. That anyone who had ever walked the floors of Ios who also had a working pair of eyes could have seen how badly Kastor wanted the throne, could see his terrible distaste for losing his inheritance of it.

These were treacherous and dangerous thoughts. But Nikandros took the risk and asked as many neutral questions as he could, trying to reel out whoever might know the truth of what happened that day. It wasn't difficult, with how the entire city was asking similar questions. But there were no answers to be gained aside from pretty words that revealed nothing. Every other answer he got somehow found a way to speak of how ' _tragic_ ' this ordeal was. Nikandros wondered that if he were to shove a blade directly through Kastor's throat, he would somehow speak through the blood filling his mouth to say 'Yes, well, how tragic.'

That evening, Kastor was sworn in as the new King of Akielos. Nikandros pledged his loyalty and service along with the other Kyros who could make it on short notice. After that, there was the funeral. Two coffins released into the sea at sunset. 

The next day, with very few hours of sleep, Nikandros packed all his belongings and returned to Delpha.

 

 

[epilogue]

When Nikandros next found himself on the steps of Ios, the bells were once again ringing. It felt like a dream. Like the world had fallen into place too perfectly to be true. Every crumbled stone and pebble slotted back together into a structure of truth. There were cracks, yes, and Ios would never be the same.

But Damianos was alive. He was home. He was the King. And Laurent... Laurent had been the one to make it true. 

As soon as Damen told him that Laurent had been the one to slay Kastor, Nikandros didn't think twice before slinging his arms around Laurent and hugging him with every ounce of gratefulness his body contained. 

Yes, Nikandros had initially feared the sight of Laurent at Damen's side. It was almost infuriating how he managed to be everything Damen liked. He was handsome, athletic, incredibly smart, cunning, and had an interesting sense of humor. Not to mention the blond hair that practically glowed underneath the direct light of the sun.

There was a lot of sun in Akielos, so Laurent glowed a lot during those days. Although Nikandros figured his radiance had other causes too. Namely his ascension as the King of Vere. 

Nikandros no longer had any apprehension towards him. Killing Kastor had been the single greatest act Laurent could have possibly done to lay bare his loyalty, to show the shape of his intentions. He told Laurent as much, on a day that the two of them took lunch together while Damen had a meeting to hold. 

'You're very protective.' Laurent responded.

'I will do everything in my power to ensure his well-being until I die, yes.'

'You love him.'

It wasn't a question, but Nikandros answered anyway. 'I do.'

'I'm glad,' Said Laurent. 'That for all he has lost, Damen still has you.'

Nikandros had nothing to say to this. He hadn't expected to hear it from anyone, much less Laurent. He sat stunned for a moment.

They continued to eat in silence after that. It didn't feel strained, only that they both retreated into themselves, to nurse their own memories. 

Until, Laurent caught his attention by pushing his plate away and saying 'I've heard that you are one of the best wrestlers in all of Akielos.'

Nikandros gave him a sidelong look.

'Do you have an interest in wrestling?'

'It's different here, than it is in Vere.' Said Laurent. 'Here it is a proud and true sport. A match of physical strength and skill. In Vere it is a display of performative carnality. The culture differences between here and there are endlessly interesting.'

Nikandros only raised a brow at him. Laurent smiled. He said: 'I'm looking for a teacher.'

'You want me- to teach you- Akielon wrestling? Why, may I ask?'

'I am ever so fond of learning new things.'

**Author's Note:**

> this is the rarest rarepair ive ever written for and its also the most passionate ive felt about what i was writing. im so glad its done. and i would take a bullet for nikandros. 
> 
> tumblr: wiltking  
> insta: wiltmachine


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